Tim Clark’s Group 1-winning legacy continues to grow, with the seasoned jockey guiding War Machine to victory in the Stradbroke Handicap last weekend—17 years after his maiden top-tier success aboard Typhoon Zed in the 2008 The Galaxy.
Now with 26 Group 1 victories to his name, Clark remains as motivated as ever, crediting the pursuit of the next big horse or headline win as his daily inspiration.
“There is always something to keep you motivated, whether that’s a horse or a certain race,” Clark said.
“It gets you up, even in these colder months, and a lot of the good horses are coming back into work (now) or will be in the next few weeks.
“It can be a grind at certain times, but generally there is always something around the corner to look forward to.”
Clark’s consistency extends beyond the major races. Despite spending much of the winter carnival in Brisbane, he still holds fourth place in the Sydney jockeys’ premiership, with 55 wins to date—a reflection of his dependable form and continued support from leading stables.
“I’ve had really good support throughout and been able to capitalise on a few of those opportunities,” he said.
“It’s nice to be sitting high up on the ladder.
“I’ve spent the majority of the last two months away on Saturdays but that has been very rewarding as well. All in all it has been a top season.”
Clark is back in action at Randwick on Saturday, where he’ll ride seven runners including Bases Loaded for his longtime backers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the Listed Civic Stakes (1400m).
Clark is optimistic about the gelding’s chances after seeing promising signs in recent trials.
“He has been gelded this prep and he does seem to be coming up well,” Clark said.
“The run under his belt won’t hurt him but I still think he’s going well enough to run a forward race.
“Fortunately, in a big field he has drawn soft. He will race somewhere near the speed but he might be able to have a cosy run just in behind them, conserve a bit of energy and he could surprise fresh.”
Bases Loaded was a $9.50 chance on Thursday, with market leader Headley Grange priced at $3.80.
Among Clark’s other rides at Randwick are Shamarkand in The Living Turf Handicap (1800m) and Rotagilla for Chris Waller in the QMS Media Handicap (1600m).