STAR Tasmanian galloper The Cleaner produced a brilliant first-up effort to fni8sh second in a head-bobbing finish to Mourinho in the weight-for-age Group 2 B. P. Lawrence Stakes over 1400 metres at Caulfield yesterday.
The Cleaner led with Noel Callow aboard and looked like being swamped 200 metres out but as he always does, The Cleaner kept finding and went down by a short half-head in a head-bobbing finish.
Trainer Mick Burles, who was unable to attend the meeting because of health issues, said Callow called him soon after the race elated with the eight-year-old’s effort.
“Noel (Callow) said he had to get aggressive on him early to lead but he found a lot over the final 100 metres and believes he would have fought back to win in another two strides,” Burles said.
“I thought it was a brilliant run because he went into it without a grass gallop and we pretty much treated it as a trial,” he said.
The Cleaner will have his next start at Moonee Valley in three weeks in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam (1600m), the race he won last year that gave him ballot-free entry into the Cox Plate.
The Cleaner is one of the top fancies to take out last season’s horse of the year title which will be announced at the 2015 Thoroughbred Racing Awards and Hall of Fame gala dinner at Country Club Tasmania on Friday night (August 21).
By Peter Staples.