Mornington-based trainer Cliff Brown will have a pair of runners in the Sept. 19 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (G1) at Caulfield Racecourse. Both Sepals and Von Hauke will tackle the 1,400-meter (about 7-furlong) sprint, having run second and third, respectively, behind Spicy Martini on a heavy track in the Stradbroke Handicap (G1) when last seen in June at Eagle Farm Racecourse.
"He's more tractable now, Von Hauke," Brown said. "He can be handy, but he hasn't drawn well in the past which has cost him. Sepals can go forward, go back, it depends on how he jumps. They will both come on for the run, which is normal for my horses. They'll both be fit enough for 1,400 meters, but with improvement to come."
Sepals won last year's Sir Rupert Clarke for Brown carrying just 52 kilograms (about 114.6 pounds), but will carry 56.5 kilos in his title defense.
Champion rider Craig Williams will be chasing a ninth success in the Sir Rupert Clarke as he gets aboard Lady Shenandoah, a victory that would put him in the record books.
Williams has won the Sir Rupert Clarke eight times in the past, and could equal an Australian group 1 record held by George Moore, who is the only rider to have won a specific group 1 event on nine occasions, the George Main Stakes (G1) (now known as the King Charles III Stakes). Williams' ability to ride lightweights has helped his chances in the race, including when aboard Sepals for last year's victory. Ethan Brown is named to ride Sepals Saturday.
On Lady Shenandoah's chance, Williams said: "Her run first-up was excellent and she's very well off in the handicap I would say with 56 kilos, only 4 kilos off the minimum, being a three-time group 1 winner. She's the right sort of horse to be winning this year's Sir Rupert Clarke."
Meanwhile, trainer Chris Waller has made a change of plans for Lady Shenandoah's stablemate, the Yulong-owned Angel Capital. Having finished fourth in the race last year, where he was held up for a run in the home straight, Angel Capital was potentially headed for the Manikato Stakes (G1), but Waller has revealed a change in plan.
"We thought we'd go to the Manikato and then have backtracked a little and we're probably going to run him in the Sir Rupert Clarke, which he was unlucky in last year," Waller told Racing.com. "It looks like he's got a good weight. Obviously, he had no luck at all last year. I've been happy with his runs, and he should be ready to peak third-up on Saturday."
Angel Capital will carry 56 kilograms in the big-field handicap contest.
"I thought he might've been the top weight, but when there's a higher rated horse in the race, it helped him with his weight," Waller said. "It's probably an invitation to run."
