Imported mare Clear Thinking produces dynamic performance to stay undefeated and storm into Kosciuszko calculations

Arrowfield Stud’s imported mare Clear Thinking overcame an early incident to score a remarkable win in the TAB Highway to remain unbeaten at Randwick.

Clear Thinking remained unbeaten with an impressive performance at Randwick. Picture: Getty Images

Clear Thinking raced into The Kosciuszko conversation when she maintained her unbeaten record with a sensational effort at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Hot favourite Clear Thinking looked to be hopelessly held up behind runners in the TAB Highway (1200m) before she burst through a gap and unleashed a powerful late surge for a stunning win.

The boom mare’s problems began at the start when she slipped coming out of the barriers and settled midfield with little galloping room in a slowly-run race until near the 100m.

Trainer Paul Messara thought she might run a “nice second or third” at best and apprentice jockey Zac Lloyd was resigned to a luckless loss – but Clear Thinking had other ideas.

WOW! 🤯

How did Clear Thinking get there? @zaclloydx looked to be in a world of trouble on the short-priced favourite, but once clear she attacked the line to take the @tabcomau Highway!@[e-mail]/F8UiWKRFr0

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 6, 2024

“At the 100m I thought we were doing it pretty tough but then she got out and to finish off like she did was exciting – to win like that was excellent,” Messara said.

Lloyd might have been harsh on himself when he said: “Saved by a very good horse!”

“Go watch the stewards’ film, she slipped quite badly at the start. From there I thought ‘Oh know - this is a stitch up’.

“I was stuck behind all these horses now and then you wouldn’t have found a slower run Highway.

“Because they went so slow I didn’t want to go back inside in the straight because they would not be stopping in front of her.

“At the 100m I thought we were no chance - I don’t know how she won.”

Clear Thinking ($2.10 favourite), raced by Arrowfield Stud supremo John Messara, made it three wins from as many starts in her debut preparation when she finished fast and reeled in Tanglewood ($9.50) in the final few bounds to win by a half neck with Lisztomania ($21) a long neck away third.

Lloyd said he was excited to get the call up to ride Clear Thinking after her impressive wins at Scone but admitted the mare’s amazing Randwick effort “exceeded his expectations”.

Clear Thinking is the clear winner of the first at Scone, winning by 9 lengths for @Paulmessara and @LGavranich! pic.twitter.com/qVE9iAhv1R

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 11, 2024

“Not many horses could have won from where she was,” Lloyd said.

“This was only her third start, she had to manoeuvre her way through a tight run then her last 200m was just fantastic.”

Messara, who trains in partnership with Leah Gavranich, confirmed Clear Thinking will now be spelled and set for the $2 million The Kosciuszko (1200m) during The Everest meeting at Royal Randwick on October 19.

TAB Fixed Odds price assessors slashed Clear Thinking’s odds for The Kosciuszko from $21 into $8 equal second favouritism with Opal Ridge behind two-time defending champ Front Page, the $4.50 favourite.

“She’s exciting, definitely,” Messara said. “But she has been a complete surprise for us since coming out from England and doing what she has done has been a bonus.

“At home, she’s a horse that doesn’t do a hell of a lot on the training track.

“People ask me, ‘how good is she?’ and I really don’t know because what you see out here is where she puts in and on the racetrack she is a very relaxed horse.

“It wasn’t straight forward today. Tanglewood is a very good horse and he kept going right to the line so it was a big effort by Clear Thinking to show that turn of foot on this type of ground.

“She goes out now and we’ll look to bring her back for The Kosciuszko. With these three wins on the board now she is going to be a horse that features in those discussions.”

Clear Thinking is a daughter of Sweet Idea (pictured) who won the Group 1 The Galaxy in 2015. Picture: Getty Images

Clear Thinking is one of the best bred mares in training as she is by England’s super sire Dubai out of Sweet Idea, the Arrowfield-bred sprinter who won the 2015 Group 1 The Galaxy and was third in the 2013 Golden Slipper.

Sweet Idea was sold to Queen Elizabeth II and exported to England where she was based at the Royal Stud at Sandringham.

When the Queen died nearly two years ago, some of her racing and breeding interests were put up for sale and Arrowfield Stud supremo John Messara seized on the opportunity to buy the unraced Clear Thinking.

“The one horse we were interested in was Clear Thinking,” John Messara said.

“We wanted to try and get the family back to Arrowfield. They put a price on Clear Thinking, we agreed and were able to purchase her.”

Clear Thinking was unraced in England and Paul Messara admitted he purchased the mare for breeding purposes only.

But Messara said rising five-year-old mare Clear Thinking has demonstrated so much ability in her three starts that plans to send her to stud have been delayed at least 12 months.

Originally published as Imported mare Clear Thinking produces dynamic performance to stay undefeated and storm into Kosciuszko calculations