Happy Clapper, Hartnell escape Winx in rich All-Star Mile

Finally, the Australian older horses Happy Clapper and Hartnell are starting in a major race without that pesky superstar Winx hogging all the attention.

Saturday at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Happy Clapper and Hartnell are part of a field of 14 in the newly-created $3.53 million All-Star Mile, billed as the world’s richest mile race. The Breeders’ Cup Mile, the richest turf mile in the United States, had a purse of $2 million at Churchill Downs last November.

Happy Clapper has been second in his last two starts to Winx in the Grade 2 Apollo Stakes on Feb. 16 and the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes on March 2. Those races were run at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Winx, the three-time Australian Horse of the Year who has won 31 consecutive starts, is scheduled to run in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill Gardens outside of Sydney on March 23 in her next race.

Without Winx, who has been an overwhelming favorite in all of her starts in recent years, the All-Star Mile is a competitive betting race.

As of Wednesday, Alizee and Mystic Journey were the joint 5-2 favorites in the future-book. Happy Clapper was 9-2, while Hartnell, who has finished behind Winx seven times in the last 37 months, was 8-1.

Alizee, a 5-year-old mare trained by James Cummings for Godolphin Racing, has won her last four starts, including the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield Racecourse on Feb. 23, a race in which Hartnell was third.

The 4-year-old filly Mystic Journey has gained a following by winning 9 of 12 starts. Trained by Adam Trinder, Mystic Journey won the Group 1 Australian Guineas at Caulfield Racecourse on March 2, beating Hawkshot and Amphitrite, who are part of the All-Star Mile field.

The field was determined in two parts – 10 runners were chosen by racing fans via ballot and four were given wildcard entries by racing officials. The wildcard entries were awarded to Happy Clapper, Hartnell, Hawkshot, and Mystic Journey.

Post time is 2:10 a.m. Eastern on Friday.