Clearly Innocent Clearly Best In Kingsford-Smith Cup
One horse which relished the testing conditions was Clearly Innocent (Not A Single Doubt) in the inaugural Kingsford-Smith Cup (Gr 1, 1300m) as he powered home for jockey Hugh Bowman to overhaul leader Jungle Edge (Dubawi) then drew clear for a three length victory. Counterattack (Redoute’s Choice), soon to retire to Kitchwin Hills in NSW, held on well to finish in third place another three and three quarters of a length back in a time of 1:19.09.
The journey for five-year-old gelding Clearly Innocent has been a long one with many hurdles to overcome along the way.
Bred by Bruce Neill’s boutique farm Cressfield at Scone, NSW, Clearly Innocent was a gangly, unattractive yearling so was not sold by the stud but retained to race and then had to overcome a series of physical problems. He was first placed in work with Scone trainer Greg Bennett who did a splendid and patient job of managing him through his problems and developing his talent, first winning a 900 metre Maiden on his home track on 9 August, 2015.
Since then, Clearly Innocent has won another eight races, four also at Scone, and last May picked up his first black type by taking the Luskin Star Stakes (Listed, 1300m) the start after his first city win in the ATC Country Championship Final (1400m) at Randwick. Last Saturday’s victory took his earnings past the $1,000,000 mark.
Greg Bennett’s recent retirement as a public trainer to accept an executive role with Aquis Farm resulted in Clearly Innocent coming under the care of top Newcastle mentor Kris Lees who prepared the gelding for a repeat success in the Luskin Star Stakes earlier this month before taking the class rise in the Kingsford-Smith Cup.
Clearly Innocent is the seventh Group One winner and fourth this season for his Arrowfield Stud – based stallion Not A Single Doubt (Redoute’s Choice), a member of his illustrious sire’s first crop foaled in 2001. He is also the 34th Group One winner produced by a daughter of Zabeel (Sir Tristram).
Other Group One winners among Not a Single Doubt’s 42 career stakes winners are Extreme Choice (retiring to Newgate Farm in NSW this spring), flying filly Miracles Of Life, Single Gaze, Good Project, Scales Of Justice and Secret Agenda.
Out of a mare by Rory’s Jester (Crown Jester), Singles Bar, who is a half-sister to Snippets (Lunchtime), a brilliant sprinter and important sire, Not A Single Doubt is bred for speed but has left a number of good winners over middle distances. Winner of two Listed sprints, Not A Single Doubt was a little below the best of his generation but it has not stopped him becoming one of Australia’s most successful sires of the past decade.
No Penalty (Zabeel), the dam of Clearly Innocent, had her share of racing ability, winning three times in Sydney up to 1800 metres but her early results at stud were not promising. Her first foal, What’s The Rules (Stratum) could only place, her second foal Unlimited Power (Snitzel) failed to even place and her third foal, a colt by Commands (Danehill), died before Clearly Innocent came along as her fourth foal. Champagne Kisses (Onemorenomore), the mare’s fifth foal, won three races.
Cressfield sold No Penalty to Western Australian interests in 2012 and she has since foaled the as yet unraced two-year-old filly Scrutinizer (Street Boss), a colt by Patronize (Redoute’s Choice) in 2016 and was covered last spring by Not A Single Doubt.
No Penalty is a three-quarter sister to stakes winner Gimmick (Sir Tristram), dam of Group One winner Linky Dink (Keeper), and is closely related to Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Sale Of Century (Prized).
Her winning dam Court (Prince Echo) is a half-sister to Domino (Grosvenor) who captured both the AJC Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) and the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) in 1990 before retiring to stud to produce New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Kiwi Hero (Deputy Governor).
This is one of New Zealand’s best female lines over the past 50 years going back through Clearly Innocent’s third dam Tupelo Honey (Vice Regal), his fourth dam Mary Poppins (Fair’s Fair) and fifth dam Rag (Lucky Bag).
Clearly Innocent’s bloodline mix is a strong one featuring four crosses of Northern Dancer (Nearctic) in his fifth and sixth generations with additional linebreeding to champion Sir Ivor (Sir Gaylord), Grey Sovereign (Nasrullah), Native Dancer (Polynesian), Relic (War Relic) and other important stallions.