Corporate takeover by I’m Feeling Lucky

Cliff Smith has gone out on a limb to declare I’m Feeling Lucky the best horse he’s trained since Corporate James.

The Bletchley Park mare came from last to win the Bob Tate Memorial (1800m) at Ascot on Saturday.  “She’s going to be a top-class stayer in 12 months,” Smith said.  “She had to cool her heels at the back today but that didn’t worry me – the last 600 has always been the best part of her races.”

I’m Feeling Lucky (4m Bletchley Park – Twinkle Toes by Danehill) is a homebred for Perth Racing chairman Ted van Heemst and was backing up after a fast-finishing third to Highly Secret over 1400m a week earlier.

“Shaun O’Donnell rode her on Thursday morning and she worked awesome,” Smith added.  “That’s when we decided to go ahead and run again.”

Smith prepared Corporate James during a career that saw the stallion win 7 black-type races in WA from a Goodwood Sprint (1300m) to a Kalgoorlie Cup (2300m).  He also travelled east to claim the G3 Tramway Handicap at Randwick defeating Group 1 winners Northern Drake & Adam.

I’m Feeling Lucky is from the penultimate crop of former Sunspeed champion Bletchley Park.  She is a younger sister to Double Irish (Bletchley Park) who made a quantum winning leap from Kojonup to Ascot this time last year.

Their Irish-bred dam Twinkle Toes has a 2yo filly and yearling gelding by Alfred Nobel who shuttles to van Heemst’s Lynward Park property in Bullsbrook.  The mare foaled a Frost Giant filly in September.