Sam Clipperton was feeling faint on Saturday following a tough 24 hours of riding, but he showed he was among the elite jockeys by booting home a treble on the Kensington track at Randwick.
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The 20-year-old, who is just few months out of his apprenticeship, rode Aegean Sea, Terai and Eisenhower to bring up his first Saturday metropolitan treble, but not without a minor scare.
Following four rides in temperatures above 40 degrees at Hawkesbury on Friday, the young hoop felt the pinch after Terai's win over 2400metres when beating Lucky Lucky Lucky by a short half-head.
"I was just feeling very faint," Clipperton said. "I had a long day in the heat at Hawkesbury the day before and it probably took a bit out of me, and I had a hard finish at the end of the 2400 metres.
"The stayer [Terai] had a bit of class on them coming back from Melbourne. I was a bit short of breath but I've pulled up well."
Clipperton proved that it did not matter two races later by throwing everything at the Gai Waterhouse-trained Eisenhower to get the three-year-old over the line from Redoutable Heart by a nose. It was just his third ride for Waterhouse.
"It wasn't as far around in that one," Clipperton joked when asked how he was feeling following the 1400m race. "Being one of Gai's, they're always tough. He probably looked out on his feet at times but he's going to be better with more racing.
"It's been good to be on a couple of horses that show a bit of speed and this guy is a winner. He's going to be better in six months' time."
Following his third winner, in just the fourth race of the day, Clipperton was looking to repeat Blake Shinn's effort a week earlier and ride four winners. "I've never had four, actually I've never had three," he said. "I knew I had good rides and they were all genuine hopes, so I was confident coming into the day.
"Since I came out of my time three months ago things have been going well and I've had plenty of support. I wanted to be competitive with the top riders in Sydney."
Meanwhile, John O'Shea will target the Christmas Cup on December13 at Randwick with emerging stayer Terai. The Godolphin trainer said she was a genuine stayer and perhaps even a two-miler.
"I was confident in her ability to run the mile-and-a-half," O'Shea said. "She's only had two goes at it. In the Queensland Oaks she had no luck and today she was good. I might even run her over further."
The Christmas Cup on Villiers Stakes day should suit the Teofilo mare perfectly. O'Shea said the 2400m was her favourite distance.
