IT was a big morning for Michael Clarke at yesterday's Sha Tin trackwork session.
The visiting Australian jockey has been dogged by bad luck since he first arrived in town.
He was off for three weeks following a crashing fall from Easy Fit and has found winners hard to come by since his return, conjuring a solitary success from Schnitzer in a 1,200-metre event despite the enigmatic English import hanging in during the closing stages.
He clearly gets on well with Schnitzer who was notching only his second career win when getting up to beat California Gold last time out, having been patiently ridden until the last 200 metres in an astute piece of tactical thinking by Clarke.
Yesterday he was back on board Neville Begg's Schnitzer and the pair worked conspicuously well from the barriers at the top of the back straight in company with speedy stablemate, Shanghai Star, who is a good guide.
Schnitzer pulled clear in the closing stages and looks in good form for Sunday's Class Two 1,200-metre event though this represents a stiff rise in grade.
