Cranbourne-based trainer Clinton Mcdonald pulled off a betting plunge as Stanley Express descended late on the line to win the $1 million VOBIS Showdown (1200m) at Caulfield. A right move was made to stay closer to home than making a trip to Adelaide for the Group 3 Breeders&rsquo; Stakes at Morphettville. &ldquo;We wanted to go to Bendigo (two weeks ago) but we missed that run and we had to come here first-up,&rdquo; McDonald said. &ldquo;He is a horse that we had a good line on, and he has shown us a lot at home.&rdquo; Well-backed from double figure quotes into $7 with betting apps, Stanley Express was a $110,000 purchase at the 2022 Magic Millions Weanling Sale and stamped a smart prizemoney one-hit boost for prime sire Starspangledbanner. This win also completed a rich juvenile feature double at Caulfield for the McDonald stable after Hayasugi took out the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) in February. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an exciting horse,&rdquo; McDonald added. Ridden by Luke Nolen, Stanley Express scored by a half-length margin over the Mathew Ellerton-trained Symphony Of Colour ($26) and Stormbourg ($51) 1&frac14;-lengths away in third. It also added to a winning pair for McDonald after Angel Capital won at Cranbourne on Friday night, with stable intentions to point the colt towards the Queensland Racing Carnival two-year-old feature Group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes (1600m) at Eagle Farm. The Showdown pre-race favourite Bold Bastille was a late scratching after breaking through her barrier stall after loading. Vets withdrew the Hayes-trained filly finding upper teeth had been dislodged in the incident. RS NewsWire

Clinton McDonald Racing

Debutant Stanley Express lands $1m The Showdown

Clinton McDonald

Stanley Express capitalised on the scratching of favourite Bold Bastille at the barriers to land the $1m VOBIS Showdown at Caulfield. Rule number one in a Showdown is: bring a gun. Cranbourne trainer Clinton McDonald did that and left Caulfield with the winner&rsquo;s prize in Saturday&rsquo;s $1 million VOBIS Platinum Showdown. The withdrawal at the barriers of the hot favourite Bold Bastille made life easier for her rivals but Stanley Express still needed to stand up when it mattered. Bold Bastille broke through the barriers before only cantering a short distance under jockey Luke Currie but Racing Victoria vets ruled her unfit to start. &ldquo;She just had a bit of blood in her mouth so they scratched her,&rdquo; Bold Bastille&rsquo;s disappointed co-trainer JD Hayes said. But a significant number of punters were keen to back Stanley Express to beat Bold Bastille. The gelding had firmed from $15 to $7 before Bold Bastille&rsquo;s shock scratching. Jockey Luke Nolen patiently rode Stanley Express back in the field before the son of Starspangledbanner lived up to his jumpouts with a strong surge in the last 200m to beat Terang debut winner Symphony Of Colour ($26). Stanley Express gave McDonald his second rich two-year-old triumph at Caulfield this season after Hayasugi won the $2m Blue Diamond Stakes in February. McDonald said Stanley Express was an impressive physical specimen with a great attitude for a youngster on debut. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a beautiful animal to look at with a big shoulder and big hindquarter and he&rsquo;s always been strong in his trials,&rdquo; McDonald said. &ldquo;We were pretty confident coming here today but we were a bit worried about his immaturity mentally. &ldquo;We knew that if he got clear air, he&rsquo;d be really strong late. &ldquo;He took runs where, for a young horse having his first start, it was pretty impressive.&rdquo; Nolen said he had his first sit on Stanley Express last Monday at trackwork. He said Stanley Express did a few things wrong in that gallop but showed he was one to follow for the future with his powerful finish on debut. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got the right temperament and the right physical make-up to make a quality animal,&rdquo; Nolen said. &ldquo;He did that on raw ability today but he&rsquo;s a nice horse going forward. &ldquo;I know it was a restricted race today but they don&rsquo;t often do that and win the way he did. &ldquo;I thought it was the win of a horse with a nice future in front of him.&rdquo; The $51 chance Stormbourg worked into third placing for trainer John Moloney. Brad Waters

Stanley Express wins VOBIS Showdown on debut after scratching of race favourite Bold Bastille

<h2 class="secondary_font">Jamie Kah and the filly Hayasugi secure a thrilling victory in the $2m Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield, highlighting skill, determination, and a legacy in Australian horse racing. </h2>
In a thrilling finish that had spectators on the edge of their seats,&nbsp;Jamie Kah&nbsp;and the promising filly&nbsp;Hayasugi&nbsp;clinched victory in the prestigious $2m Blue Diamond Stakes&nbsp;at Caulfield. This win not only showcases Kah's exceptional skill as a jockey but also marks her triumphant return to the top of Australian horse racing following a career-threatening fall last year. For Cranbourne trainer&nbsp;Clinton McDonald, this victory carries a sentimental value, bridging the past and the future of horse racing through the legacy of his late father Ross McDonald.
<h2>A Race Against the Odds</h2>
The odds seemed stacked against Kah and Hayasugi as they faced a challenging position in the early stages of the race. Yet, in a display of sheer determination and skill, Kah navigated the filly with precision, gradually overcoming rivals to secure a position at the forefront. The duo's victory was not just a testament to their individual talents but also to the meticulous preparation by McDonald and his team. As they overtook the favorite Coleman and Lady Of Camelot in the final moments, the win underscored the unpredictable nature of horse racing, where anything can happen until the very last second.
<h2>A Legacy Continues</h2>
For McDonald, this victory is more than just a career highlight; it's a continuation of a family legacy. His late father, Ross McDonald, had won the Blue Diamond with Courtza 35 years ago, and now, Clinton plans to enter Hayasugi in next month's Golden Slipper, hoping it will suit her strengths as well as it did for Courtza. This moment is a poignant reminder of the deep connections and narratives that run through the heart of horse racing, intertwining personal achievements with collective history.
<h2>Looking Ahead</h2>
The focus now shifts to the upcoming Golden Slipper, with McDonald and his team feeling optimistic about Hayasugi's prospects. Despite Coleman's unexpected performance, finishing 13th, the event highlighted the formidable combination of Kah and Hayasugi. Their victory in the Blue Diamond Stakes not only cements their status as a team to watch but also ignites excitement for what the future holds in horse racing. As the sport continues to evolve, stories like Kah and Hayasugi's offer a glimpse into the relentless pursuit of excellence and the enduring spirit of competition that defines it. Salman Khan

Jamie Kah and Hayasugi Triumph in $2m Blue Diamond Stakes, Marking a Milestone Victory

Star filly Hayasugi became the first horse since Sepoy in 2011 to go through the Blue Diamond series undefeated as she replicated her wins in the Preview and Prelude by narrowly winning the Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
In doing so, she continued a unique thread for trainer Clinton McDonald as he became the third generation of his family to have experienced success in Victoria's feature two-year-old race.
McDonald's grandfather Bon Hoysted trained Manikato to win the Blue Diamond Stakes in 1978, before his father Ross McDonald trained Courtza to win the race 11 years later.
The former Caulfield-based trainer, who is now based at Cranbourne, plans to again follow in his father's footsteps as Hayasugi will head to Sydney to contest the Golden Slipper Stakes, a race Courtza also won.
McDonald said he thought he had missed something when he saw Hayasugi's price, as he had never been so confident going to a feature race given his galloper's faultless preparation and her magnificent appearance.
"She's determined, she's tough and I thought I was stupid coming in today thinking she was 20-1," McDonald said.
"I just thought her last run was fantastic, for a two-year-old to be able to do what she did and win.
"Again, she had no favours and Jamie's fiancee (Ben Melham aboard Coleman) was trying to knock us down, but anyway, we knocked him off and found the line, it was great." McDonald said tenacity was Hayasugi's trademark and that's why she was able to win a Blue Diamond, which will also be a factor in the Golden Slipper, while he was also delighted with the result given it demonstrated what his smaller stable is capable of and people noticed.
"We always seem to have a good horse in the stable," he said. Michael Manley

McDonald Diamond tradition continues

Hayasugi&nbsp;proved herself Melbourne&rsquo;s best two-year-old with a stylish win in the Blue Diamond Stakes completing a rare treble in the process.
The&nbsp;Clinton Mcdonald&nbsp;-trained daughter of Royal Meeting joined Midnight Fever, back in 1987, as the only filly to complete the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justhorseracing.com.au/blue-diamond-stakes">Blue Diamond Series</a>, comprising the Preview, Prelude and Saturday&rsquo;s feature Group 1 race over 1200m.
Three colts, Rancher (1982), Bel Esprit&nbsp;(2002) and Sepoy (2011) had also completed the feat.
Ridden by Jamie Kah, Hayasugi ($16) defeated Lady Of Camelot ($4.40) by a long head with Kuroyanagi ($11) a head away third.
The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justhorseracing.com.au/golden-slipper">Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill</a>&nbsp;on March 23 beckons&nbsp;for Hayasugi who will try to emulate the deeds of Courtza who won the Blue Diamond-Golden Slipper double for McDonald&rsquo;s father Ross.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s one of those races where I used to say to my mates, history repeats,&rdquo; McDonald said.
&ldquo;<a href="https://www.justhorseracing.com.au/blue-diamond-stakes">Blue Diamond</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justhorseracing.com.au/golden-slipper">Golden Slipper</a>&nbsp;and we&rsquo;re lucky enough now to have a live chance and I think the Golden Slipper will really suit this filly and the way she attacks the line.
&ldquo;For a young two-year-old, her tenacity is second to none.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;ll go straight to the Slipper. I&rsquo;m sort of following the same program we did with Courtza and that&rsquo;s what she&rsquo;ll do.&rdquo;
McDonald said a win in a feature race like the Blue Diamond was important for the stable.
He said it shows future owners that he can train a young horse to win Group 1&rsquo;s.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re only a small stable and we always seem to have a good horse in the stable but today, I&rsquo;d never been so confident coming to the races with a horse,&rdquo; McDonald said.
&ldquo;It was a faultless preparation, she looked magnificent, and it was just unreal.&rdquo;
Kah landed her first win in the Group 1 feature and was congratulated by fianc&eacute;e Ben Melham soon after returning to the jockeys&rsquo; room.
The couple became engaged on Valentine&rsquo;s Day.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been fantastic. Almost as good as my ring,&rdquo; she said.
Kah rode Hayasugi to all three wins in the Blue Diamond Series after Melham partnered the filly at her second race start last spring.
She said Hayasugi is a determined filly who does not know when she is beaten.
&ldquo;She gives you a nice enough feel on the turn, and she just finds ten lengths,&rdquo; Kah said.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how. Today she gave me a nice feel, I thought she&rsquo;d run on well, and she wins, she&rsquo;s just so tough. So tough.
&ldquo;The team&rsquo;s done an amazing job with her but the horse itself, she&rsquo;s just coped with everything.
&ldquo;She was the quietest horse out there, she was a pony. She just loves her job, loves her work.&rdquo; RS NewsWire

Hayasugi completes Blue Diamond sweep

Hayasugi will attempt a rare feat when she chases Melbourne&rsquo;s premier juvenile race at Caulfield. The Clinton Mcdonald-trained two-year-old will head to the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 24 with the Blue Diamond Preview and the Blue Diamond Prelude already secured. No filly has achieved the feat since Midnight Fever in 1987, while the last colt to win the treble was Sepoy in 2011, following on from Bel Esprit in 2002 and Rancher 20 years earlier. Ridden by Jamie Kah, Hayasugi ($8.50) scored by a nose from South Australian visitor Kuroyanagi ($5.50) with Matisse ($17) a long neck away third. McDonald said there was still improvement to come from Hayasugi who has won her two races this campaign, the Blue Diamond Preview and the Prelude, by the barest possible margin. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s one of those fillies that&rsquo;s just tough,&rdquo; McDonald said. &ldquo;She cops anything you throw at her, and you saw today she had a horse on her inside pushing her off the track, but she was good enough to balance up and find the line. &ldquo;I thought there was a lot of credit to the win, and I know there&rsquo;s still improvement to come. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been pretty soft on her and let her come through naturally and she&rsquo;s only had one gallop since her last start. &ldquo;She&rsquo;ll tighten up beautifully going to 1200 (metres).&rdquo; Kah, who is yet to win a Blue Diamond, said Haysugi had the attributes to win the race. She said she would speak to McDonald about removing the tongue tie from the filly in a bid to make Hayasugi more tractable. &ldquo;They obviously have to be fast to win good races but she&rsquo;s just so easy to deal with,&rdquo; Kah said. &ldquo;Clinton&rsquo;s been saying she&rsquo;s eating up every day, pulling up 100 per cent sound and that gets them a long way. &ldquo;Today was the first time she&rsquo;s ever been a bit difficult to ride on the turn. &ldquo;She didn&rsquo;t like that tongue tie, so I&rsquo;ll speak to Clinton about it but the improvement she&rsquo;s made fitness wise has been massive since her last start.&rdquo; &nbsp;<a title="Posts by RS NewsWire" href="https://www.justhorseracing.com.au/author/rs-newswire" rel="author">RS NewsWire</a>

Hayasugi to chase rare Blue Diamond treble

Hayasugi has dramatically enhanced her Blue Diamond credentials, scoring a thoroughly impressive Prelude victory at Caulfield on Saturday and landing some big bets for connections in the process.
Ridden by Jamie Kah, the Clinton McDonald-trained filly ($9) once again let loose with a devastating turn of foot to win at the death and claim her second victory from four runs, shortening from $26 to $11 in Blue Diamond future betting just after.
McDonald was delighted with Hayasugi&rsquo;s ability to let down even after a tumultuous run throughout and said she can &ldquo;cop anything you throw at her.&rdquo;
Naturally, the win has done nothing to diminish his belief that the step up to 1200 metres will pose no problems to his galloper.&nbsp;
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s one of those fillies that&rsquo;s just tough &hellip; she cops anything you throw at her and you saw today she had that horse on her inside pushing her off the track,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;She was good enough to balance up and find the line like that, so I thought there was a lot of credit to the win, and I know there&rsquo;s still improvement to come.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been pretty soft on her and let her come through naturally and she&rsquo;s only had one gallop since her last start, and she&rsquo;ll tighten up beautifully going to 1200.&rdquo; The performance echoed her Preview effort, but where that race saw her corner four-wide, Hayasugi had at least six horses inside her in the Prelude, with plenty of ground to make up.
$2 favourite Bold Bastille (who vets found to be lame in the right fore post-race) was quickly swamped, and SA raider Kuroyanagi ($5.50) burst up the fence to hit the lead.
But Hayasugi, was coming at a rate of knots and somehow got her nose in front on the line, with Matisse ($15) rocketing home from last for an eye-catching third. The result left the trainer, jockey, and ownership group all vindicated in their confidence that the bookies had missed a beat with their $10 opening quote.
&ldquo;It was a great ride by Jamie, she was so confident before the race &ndash; we all were actually, we just couldn&rsquo;t believe the price,&rdquo; McDonald said.
&ldquo;I thought I must be a mug, but anyway, god bless the bookies and it&rsquo;s been a good day.&rdquo; Darcy Cosgriff&nbsp;<a class="rdc-user-profile__social" href="https://twitter.com/Darcy_Cosgriff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@Darcy_Cosgriff</a>

Hayasugi raises the bar

Clinton McDonald&rsquo;s quest to win a Blue Diamond Stakes with Hayasugi received a major confidence boost on two fronts after her narrow victory in the fillies Blue Diamond Preview (1000m).
McDonald said Hayasugi had a lot of improvement to come and would also be better suited by the 1200 metres. Hayasugi ($5.50) swooped home and grabbed Tobeornottobe close to the line to win a photo by a nose with Matisse third.
Sportsbet reacted to the win by firming her from $26 into $9 for the Blue Diamond Stakes.
McDonald and Hayasugi&rsquo;s jockey Jamie Kah both said her experience over her rivals having had two starts proved invaluable.
McDonald said Hayasugi was meant to have had two trials going into the Group 3 Blue Diamond Preview but one was cancelled due to bad weather.
&ldquo;She hasn&rsquo;t been wound up for this. I told the owners whatever she does today she will improve and there&rsquo;s a lot of improvement to come. She only had the one trial and it was quite a soft trial,&rdquo; McDonald said. McDonald is planning for Hayasugi to peak in the Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on February 24 and he will give her one more run in the Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) on February 10.
&ldquo;That was a really good win. She had to do it tough. She was back, she had to find the line she probably petered on her run with 50 metres to go.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We think 1200 m will be right up her alley, she&rsquo;s not a 1000 metres horse. She has a really good turn of foot; we're hoping that will show up over 1200m.&rdquo;
McDonald said you couldn&rsquo;t beat race day experience and Kah agreed saying that it made the difference in the finish.
&ldquo;She&rsquo;s a really classy filly. She does whatever you ask her to do although she was feeling the pinch late but she was tough enough to hang on,&rdquo; Kah said.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice riding a filly with race experience as she knew what she was doing.&rdquo; Michael Manley&nbsp;<a class="rdc-user-profile__social" href="https://twitter.com/MichaelManley_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@MichaelManley_1</a> 26 Jan, 2024

McDonald's Blue Diamond Boost

It's no surprise Jamie Kah labelled Acid Wash a horse with a big future after she piloted him to a ridiculously easy Cranbourne maiden win when he was eased down and still prevailed by six lengths.
The grey three-year-old gelding's form has since been franked as the horse he defeated, Vilnius, subsequently won a Geelong maiden.
Kah pointed out that he felt like a big baby and his trainer Clinton McDonald is also treating him as a work in progress.
McDonald has Acid Wash entered for Pakenham on Thursday night and The Valley on Saturday, with the decision as to where the galloper heads to be based on which assignment he believes is easier.
"We'll have a look at the barriers and the field and choose the better race for him," McDonald said.
McDonald said Acid Wash is a horse who is going to be a high-quality galloper, but he needs time to develop.
"I want to keep his confidence up as he's still learning his craft," McDonald said.
McDonald said although Acid Wash led last start, he thinks he is a galloper who in the future could be adaptable in his races.
"I think he's one of those horses who can be adaptable and be capable of settling back or forward," he said. "We're just teaching him at the moment and I think he's going the right way.
"At his last start, over the last 600 metres he clicked up through his gears and he put paid to them in the manner of a good horse. "
Although the Australian Guineas is six weeks away, McDonald thinks he's done enough for this campaign.
"We've got a plan in our head to get him to Queensland as he's been in work for a long time. We'll monitor those big three-year-old races though but in terms of how long he's been in, it (Australian Guineas) might be a bridge too far.
"We might give him a freshen up and look at Queensland and wintering him up there."
McDonald's talented mare Flying On A Limb will resume at The Valley on Saturday and he is looking for her to graduate to get some black type in her pedigree over the Autumn Carnival Michael Manley&nbsp;<a class="rdc-user-profile__social" href="https://twitter.com/MichaelManley_1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@MichaelManley_1</a> 24 Jan, 2024

McDonald taking time with Acid Wash

Jamie Kah has been left very impressed by three-year-old Acid Wash, after the son of American Pharoah broke his maiden by a space at Cranbourne on Friday night.
Trained by Clinton McDonald, the gelding started a $1.20 chance after beginning his career with two second placings, including a narrow defeat down the Flemington straight the start prior.
After a slightly awkward jump, Acid Wash drove up to share in the lead and travelled comfortably at a steady gallop.
Around the bend, Kah slipped her mount a bit of rein and instantly had the chasers off the bit, before putting them to the sword in the last furlong, with the final margin a touch under six lengths. The champion hoop said the victory was as comfortable as it appeared to viewers.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very, very fast horse,&rdquo; Kah said. &ldquo;He felt very, very good underneath me.&rdquo;
&ldquo;On the turn I felt like he was still in first gear&hellip; we were always going to win easily, but he was just cruising.&rdquo; Kah said McDonald&rsquo;s galloper has a &ldquo;big future&rdquo;, especially once he can straighten out a few little quirks.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s such a big baby still, he&rsquo;s learning, when the penny drops, he&rsquo;s going to be a very classy horse,&rdquo; she said.
&ldquo;It was actually quite funny out of the gates, I had to apologise to everyone. I don&rsquo;t know what happened, he just jumped sideways.
&ldquo;But once he&rsquo;s out there he&rsquo;s a beautiful horse to ride, he&rsquo;s got a big future.&rdquo; Darcy Cosgriff&nbsp;<a class="rdc-user-profile__social" href="https://twitter.com/Darcy_Cosgriff" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@Darcy_Cosgriff</a>

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Hayasugi raises the bar

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