Media scrum … Lauren Stojakovic fronts journalists and connections after her win. Photo: Vince Caligiuri
TRAINER Daniel Clarken had been sleeping in the stable of Miracles Of Life in the lead-up to her crushing Blue Diamond win on Saturday and such is his concern about the horse's wellbeing that he will not be rushed into a decision about whether she runs in the Golden Slipper.
Miracles Of Life made it four wins from as many starts for Clarken and apprentice Lauren Stojakovic, completing a fairytale rise to group 1 glory. But it was back to reality for trainer and jockey on Sunday. Stojakovic mucked out Miracles Of Life's box before returning to Balaklava for five rides.
"I have done Sky, TVN and Channel Nine this morning, she [Miracles Of Life] has done a good job of getting a bad head on the telly," Clarken said. "I will hop in the float with her tonight and go home. That will probably give me the chance to sit back and think what we have done.
"We will give her a week off before making any decision about the Slipper but my first thought was to spell."
Miracles Of Life's connections would have to pay a $150,000 late entry to run in the Slipper, where the purse is $3.5 million.
"She has the money in the bin, so that is not the question, it is if she is up to keeping on going," Clarken said.
Miracles Of Life was the second Blue Diamond winner for owner-breeder Muzaffar Yaseen after Redoute's Choice in 1999. Clarken was fortunate to hook up with the powerful owner after the Sri Lankan magnate bought a horse from his stable, Zodiac Queen, in 2008. She was Clarken's only group 1 runner before Saturday. "They bought the filly and I got a call from Iris [O'Farrell, Yaseen's bloodstock agent] to say they would like me to keep training her," Clarken said. "I put in a stable return and the colours didn't click. They were familiar though. But when they arrived in the post I thought 'oh god, they're Redoute's Choice's colours.' I have had a couple of horses for them since that [were not] up to Sydney and Melbourne class [but] that's how I got Miracles Of Life."
The diminutive filly has surprised Clarken after her first win in Adelaide with her ability to stand up to racing. That leaves the door open for the Slipper. "It is always in the back of your mind [that] she might just be a two-year-old, but if you think that way you might just ruin her as a three-year-old," he said.
"I would love to have a Slipper runner but we will let her tell us if she is up to it. I don't think she fully is mature yet and she certainly has some growing to do. This is just on raw ability at the moment. She isn't at the top of her game and by spelling her we will give her the chance to get there."
The Golden Slipper has never been in the plans of Clarken and is why the Not A Single Doubt filly wasn't nominated.
"The Blue Diamond was big enough for us," he said. "I thought being so small she would have one run and then go out. She had that first run and was like a jackrabbit in the stable after it. She just kept improving and stood up to the racing really well, and if she tells us that she is happy, the Slipper is not out of the question."
Stojakovic would keep the ride if Miracles Of Life comes to Sydney after she repaid the owner and trainer's faith in her with a brilliant ride in the Blue Diamond.
"I was always happy for her to stay on the filly," Clarken said. "I think a good horse makes a jockey. Lauren knows Miracles Of Life and that is really important. They get on well together … "
Miracles Of Life took her earnings to $730,000 on Saturday, about $100,000 less than what Clarken's stable earned in the past three years.
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