By Chris Roots
Cressfield Stud boss Bruce Neill could have easily given up on Kingsford Smith Cup winner Clearly Innocent before he even got to a trainer.
As the vet bills mounted beyond $50,000 for a gelding he couldn't sell from stifle, hock and throat surgeries, Neill decided to bush the son of Not Single Doubt and see what happened. That faith was repaid with a group 1 win at his 15th start.
Patience rewarded: Hugh Bowman rides Clearly Innocent to victory in the Darley Kingsford-Smith Cup.Credit: AAP
"We have a never-say-die attitude at Cressfield and we just gave him his chance. We sent him to Greg Bennett and from his first barrier trial we knew we had a racehorse," Neill said.
"It was worth every cent and Greg [Bennett] did a great job with him to win a Country Championships and still have a horse for later on.
"This win is about his skill as a horseman and the way he gave the horse Kris Lees allowed him to be here today."
Greg Bennett, the man who broke in Makybe Diva and numerous others, watched on from the mounting yard, after taking a job with Aquis Farm in Queensland in April.
He was a proud man as Clearly Innocent careered to a three-length victory from Jungle Edge with Counterattack another 3-¾ lengths away in third.
"That is as good as winning any race as a trainer," Bennett said. "He had so many problems this horse before I got him and we treated him with kid gloves.
"He is really special to me but he is Kris [Lees] now and he has done a great job with him."
Lees gave a nod to Bennett as he collected the trophy and can now look to the Stradbroke in a fortnight with Clearly Innocent, which was immediate made favourite for Queensland's biggest race.
"He was in great order when I got him a couple of months ago and we looked at the Stradbroke back then and made a plan to get there," Lees said. "This is really a bonus because we thought he would be better suited in a handicap."
The win gave Lees group 1s in back to back weeks and took his tally to the year to four. Hugh Bowman chalked up his 12th group 1 win in the Kingsford Smith Cup and needs Clearly Innocent to get at least 54.5kg in the Stradbroke to stay with him in a fortnight.
"I would love him to get 55kg [in the Stradbroke[ because he really got through that track well," Bowman said. "if he got 54.5kg I would have to really think about it but probably still want to ride him."
It was a great ride from Bowman, who sat back in the field and came wide at the top of the straight. Clearly Innocent was giving up more than half dozen lengths when leader and favourite Jungle Edge shoot clear inside the 300m mark.
He came off Counterattack and let down with a power burst to track down Jungle Edge and by the final 200m and Clearly Innocent was extending away.
"The most impressive part of his race was from 300 to 200m where he just went away from the pack with a real turn of foot," Bowman said. "The rest of the race he was just building on that and was really strong in the ground."
The turn of foot put two of Clearly Innocent's major rivals out of their confidence zone very quickly.
Opie Bosson said Counterattack didn't handle the heavy conditions but "when Hugh went past so quick at the 300m I thought he wouldn't run a place but he struck on well."
Brad Rawiller said Black Heart Bart "was not at home in the ground, I was on Clearly Innocent's back but when he went it was all over in a couple of strides."
Kevin Forrester said runner-up Jungle Edge was brave.
"I was the bunny for them to chase and only one of them got me," Forrester said. "He just keep rolling and when I got a gap I knew something would be coming and it was just too good."
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