He's
the pride of the Tasmanian breeding and racing industry and seven year-old
gelding The Cleaner now has a shot at this year's Cox Plate after scoring a
typically bold, front-running victory in the Group II MVRC Dato Tan Chin Nam
Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Rated perfectly in front by Steven Arnold, The Cleaner led from barrier to box
taking the 1600 metre weight-for-age feature by three-quarters of a length over
Mourinho and Foreteller.
Trainer Mick Burles revealed The Cleaner was in a cranky mood this morning with
a boil on his wither. Some old fashioned horsemanship resulted in Burles
receiving a kick or three but with the pressure relieved, The Cleaner was back
to his normal self.
"He's a bloody champion isn't he?" said Burles, who trains at Longford in
Tasmania.
The Dato Tan Chin Nam winner is guaranteed a start in the Cox Plate and his
trainer is delighted.
"We've had our ups and downs but this makes up for it all. To just have a
runner in the Cox Plate is a dream," Burles said.
"He'll improve again over 2000 metres and they'll know they're in a race."
A $10,000 Magic Millions Tasmania purchase for his trainer from the Atkins
draft, The Cleaner has won 17 races from 42 starts and over $720,000 in
prizemoney.
A half-brother to Tasmanian stakes-winners Private Nip and Strait Dash, The
Cleaner is one of seven winners from top Tasmanian producer Dash of Scotch, who
died in 2009.
He is the best of seven stakes-winners for ill-fated Savoire Vivre (GB), a minor
winner by Sadler's Wells that proved very successful for Armidale Stud and was
one of the best stallions in Tasmania before his premature death in 2012.