From royal reject to million-dollar mare

If there is ever a reason to believe in fate in racing, then Hunter contender Clear Thinking is it.

Literally and figuratively royally-bred, Clear Thinking wasn’t destined to grace a racetrack when Arrowfield Stud brought her to Australia last year.

Fortunately, she did and has racked up $1 million in prize money from seven starts, resulting in five wins, including the Kosciuszko.

And the fairytale story, which has an ugly duckling feel, hasn’t finished yet.

But getting her way back to Australia is a story in itself that has synergies that date back to her mum, Sweet Idea, a Galaxy and Magic Millions Guineas winner.

Sweet Idea’s racing career was finished by a tendon injury, and she was sold to part-owner Nick Vass for $1.6 million, who, in turn, accepted an offer from John Warren on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II for the mare.

Sweet Idea had four foals, with Clear Thinking the third in the line and most successful, but only raced once she got to Australia.

“She just come along at the right time for us,” Arrowfield Studmaster and trainer Paul Messara said.

“We had just lost a mare with our partners, and the insurance on her was the same amount as we paid for Clear Thinking.”

“John Warren rang and said I have a filly that might interest, when they were reducing the Royal bloodstock interests after the Queen’s death.”

“It came a day after we got the cheque, she was out of Sweet Idea who came off our farm and she reminds me a bit of her.”

“But [Clear Thinking] was never going to race here.”

“She didn’t race over there, and we bought her to breed with – being a Dubawi. You don’t get the chance to get too many of them.”

Clear Thinking cost around $500,000 landed in Australia, and she was enjoying a paddock at Arrowfield waiting for the 2024 breeding season to come around when bloodstock manager Jon Fryer suggested putting her into work at the Hunter Valley Farm.

“The idea was to find out what sort of stallion she would go to [an expensive one or a cheaper one],” Messara remembered.

“She didn’t stand out. She has a jabby action when she works slowly, so we didn’t know how good she was until she went to a barrier trial at Tamworth.”

“Aaron Bullock rode her and came back and said you might have something here. She gave him that good of a feel at a gallop.”

Clear Thinking was clearly better at a gallop than a canter but would still tease Messara with her first raceday experience. She failed to load into the barriers and was sent back to the trials.

However, once her first prep was over she was a racehorse with a breeding career to come.

She was unbeaten with two Scone wins before a Highway victory at Randwick in fast time, where she showed her greatest asset.

“She has a sprint that gets her through any gap that comes her way,” Messara said. “Not many possess what she has got, the ability to sprint so quickly and off good tempo.”

The autumn started with another Highway win for Clear Thinking before a Group 3 placing when she was second to Inhibitions in the Triscay Stakes, which Messara is keen to build on this campaign.

“She has won the Kosciuszko this spring, and this is another step up from that,” he said. “We would like to test her in Group racing because black type is important to her future.”

“A race like the Festival Stakes gives us the chance to get black type and find out what trip she might get out to.”

“She gets into the Hunter really well and hopefully she can be close enough to use her sprint.”

“It’s a good test of her, but we think eventually she will be in Group company.”

“There are probably more reasons why she shouldn’t be here than why she should be. She is very talented, we know that now, and it will be interesting to see where she gets to on the track.”

“She will have a home at Arrowfield when she finishes as we always planned.”