<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Horses have been part of Will Clarken's life as long as he can remember - it's in his blood. His father Robert was a jockey-turned-trainer-turned racing journalist, and Will inevitably followed a similar path.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Will took up his apprenticeship as a 15 year old, when indentured to cousin Dan Clarken. He spent 18 months in the saddle, riding 43 winners. The stint in the saddle, as well as enhancing his passion for racing, allowed him to build a deep understanding of the mindset of both horse and jockey.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In his early career as a conditioner Will was extremely fortunate to manage Performance Park under footballer turned coach, Mike Nunan. Mike has a reputation for leading innovation in many forms of sport, including racing. At Performance Park Will developed an understanding of the value of sport science in the training of Thoroughbreds.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In June 2010 his first winner More Allowance saluted at Morphettville Parks, shortly after he took out his training license.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He really came to the attention of the broader racing public when talented filly Molto Bene blew her rivals away in the Group 3 SA Sires' Produce Stakes in 2012. From there Will enjoyed more success with his team growing his stable from five to 10 to 20 and then 70. Black-type victories flowed from the likes of Cavaloce, Mio Dio and Steel Frost.<br /><br />His first taste of Group One success came when wonder mare Bella Vella took out the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes in 2020.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">will@clarkenracing.com</span></p>

Clarken Racing

Will Clarken

<div>Niki developed a passion for horses from an early age in Ireland, riding ponies when he was a kid in Kerry before taking up race riding as an amateur while still in school.<br /><br /></div>
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<div>He started full-time in the industry as soon as he finished his education, working for high-profile trainers like Jessica Harrington and Dessie Hughes in his home country while continuing to enjoy success as a jumps jockey.<br /><br /></div>
<div>Niki got his first taste of Australia in 2006 when he flew out to compete for an Irish team against the locals, endearing himself by winning two races.<br /><br /></div>
<div>He finished his career in the saddle in Ireland with 55 winners before deciding to take a chance and move to South Australia in 2013, an opportunity that came up after making such a good impression in that first trip.<br /><br /></div>
<div>Niki continued to ride over the jumps while learning the art of Australian racing under premiership-winning trainers Tony McEvoy and Phillip Stokes before hanging up his race riding boots for good and officially joining his partner Ashton Downing's operation late in 2016.<br /><br /></div>
<div>They had collected 32 winners together at an excellent strike-rate of 19 per cent when Will came knocking to see if he'd be interested in joining the Clarken Racing team as co-trainer from the start of 2023.<br /><br /></div>
<div>It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Niki couldn't refuse, having been friends with Will since he moved to Australia.<br /><br /></div>
<div>They share similar philosophies about horses, taking time to learn them as individuals and then tailor the training to their specific needs to get the very best out of them.<br /><br /></div>
<div>Niki will be looking after the stables at Morphettville and Murray Bridge and he is particularly excited about the possibilities as the new operation gets up and running at Gifford Hill.<br /><br /></div>
<div>This talented horseman is determined to help take Clarken Racing to the next level.<br /><br />niki@clarkenracing.com</div>
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Niki O'Shea

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<div>Bitten by the bug as a youngster in Balranald, Lachie decided a career in racing was a better option than working in a butcher's shop and has been an important part of Clarken Racing since meeting Will after moving to Adelaide in 2011.<br /><br /></div>
<div>While officially the racing manager, he's a jack of all trades, helping sort the race programs, talking to owners, booking jockeys and organising the logistics when it comes to the movement of horses - anything that's required.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>He's also involved in the sourcing of yearlings and tried horses with Will and John.&nbsp;</div>
<div>Lachie&nbsp;is an astute form analyst, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of racing in South Australia and Victoria.<br /><br /></div>
<div>He&nbsp;has helped the business grow from a handful of horses in the early days to now, where it is one of the leading operations in the state.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>He takes great pride in that evolution and finds nothing more satisfying than getting a positive result for good people.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
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Lachie is also a prominent jockey agent, managing top riders Jamie Kah and Linda Meech.<br /><br />lachie@clarkenracing.com

Lachie Weekley

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<div>Kate was destined for a life around horses - her father Paul was a jockey and a trainer while her mother Bridget is from a family of hobby trainers.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>The New Zealander strapped her first runner at 14 before making a full-time move into the industry after finishing school.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>She worked for respected trainer Kevin Gray before joining the world-class Te Akau Racing operation as an assistant foreman while also looking after their social media.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>Two horses became favourites in that time, strapping Group 1 winner Yourdeel while also enjoy success with Star Of Bombay, a bargain buy who went on to win a stakes race with her grandparents in the ownership group.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>From there, Kate went to a marketing company before jumping at the opportunity to move to Australia and join Clarken Racing.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>Kate is a dynamic operator within the business, helping to organise and work with the horses in the mornings before spending her afternoons focused on the stable's marketing and communications.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
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She has a genuine passion for the thoroughbred and the joy they can bring, while appreciating that it takes big team effort to get winners on raceday.&nbsp;<br /><br />kate@clarkenracing.com

Kate Belsham

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<div>Richard's family has an interest in racing but his enthusiasm for the sport really piqued when he started mucking out boxes while he was studying a commerce and marketing degree at Adelaide University.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>Despite earning his degree he decided the racing world was better than the corporate one and focused on that.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>He had a short stint as an apprentice jockey, winning three races, before travelling to the other side of the planet and working at a stable in England.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>From there he moved to Sydney, spending time with the Snowdens and then with a company that sold racecourse infrastructure before moving home to Adelaide.<br /><br /></div>
<div>Richard has many roles within the Clarken Racing business, as well as being involved in the sales and communications side of things, he still rides trackwork and helps out in the mornings.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
<div>He also has a keen interest in the sports science aspect of horse racing, taking the lead in the stable's data analysis, interpreting that information and building profiles for all the horses in the yard.&nbsp;<br /><br /></div>
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<div>Richard loves the romance of the turf - the highs and the lows - and the process&nbsp;of identifying a horse and nurturing it from a blank canvas into a fully-fledged racehorse that can potentially change people's lives.<br /><br />richard@clarkenracing.com</div>

Richard Adam

<div>John is a crucial member of the Clarken Racing team. He assists Will, Niki and Lachie in assessing the fields and analysing where each horse is effectively placed.<br /><br />He grew up in a family of regular racegoers, and that eventually evolved into a career, setting aside his engineering degree to embrace the high-stress lifestyle of professional punting for 25 years. <br /><br />During that time, he bred and owned horses, sending a couple to Will, and their relationship evolved as they enjoyed more success together. <br /><br />They found and improved tried horses like Steel Frost, Mio Dio, Cavaloce and Group 1 winner Bella Vella - all of them essentially provincial horses who went on to win black-type races. <br /><br />Seeing those exposed runners elevate to new levels under the Clarken Racing banner gives John a great deal of satisfaction. <br /><br />He says there are few things better than winning races with good people. <br />John is an excellent judge, and more people are seeing his talent now he's the South Australian form expert for Racing.com.<br /><br />john@clarkenracing</div>
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Clarken Racing | Clarken Racing Meet The Team