CLEVA RUN BY MM BOUND DUDE

It was another big day for Bel Esprit with 4 winners – taking his 8 day tally to 20 – and each of the Saturday quartet deserve a wrap.

Patrick Payne’s gutsy 3YO, Hot Lover (ex. Concluding by Kenny’s Best Pal) has now won 5 from 10 after scoring convincingly at Flemington … the evergreen Brewski (ex. Summer Magic by Eagling) picked up win No. 6 for Bill & Symon Wilde … and Gaelstorm (ex. Blow by End Sweep) – trained by Jamie Edwards and Bruce Elkington – had 3 lengths to spare at Cranbourne.

But it was the win of Clevadude (ex. Jezeera by Jetball) that really had the tongues wagging.

Stepping out for the first time, the 2YO was never out of third gear and absolutely cruised to the line under a tight hold from Noel Callow – as one wag put it, the win was as soft as ice cream left out in the midday sun.

Indeed, such was the calibre of the win that Hore-Lacy – who has put the polish on brilliant 2YOs such as Canny Lad and Redoute’s Choice (to name just two) – said post race that Clevadude may well be the best horse he’s ‘eva’ trained.

Hore-Lacy paid $225,000 for the Eliza Park homebred at the 2012 Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale, topping the summer session and thereby making the Bel Esprit youngster eligible for the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic on 12 January.

There’s a trip to Moonee Valley planned first, but based on the Cranbourne curtain raiser, this bloke really appears to be going places.

Clevadude as a yearling at Smithfield farm