Gus Clutterbuck in training partnership

Press, 25 July 1985, Page 38

Gus Clutterbuck in training partnership

special correspondent Palmerston North The Jockey Gus Clutterbuck, has been granted a public trainers’ licence and will join Jim Rusher, of Awapuni in a partnership from the beginning of the new season next week. Clutterbuck, aged 31, has been helping out at Rusher’s Longburn stables for five or six weeks while awaiting his licence approval. He follows in the footsteps of his father, Lionel Clutterbuck, and an uncle, Vic. His grandfather Alf Neale and older brother Lionel trained out of Bulls and Tuakau respectively. Lionel Clutterbuck, sen., who died 18 years ago, is best remembered by his deeds with Anchor which won a Summer Handicap at Trentham. Alf Neale prepared the brilliant Killeymoon and Black Robe. Gus’s brother, Lionel trained the former Parliamentary Handicap winner, Lord Mac, to win three further races and tasted success also with the jumper, Luigi. Lionel is now based in Melbourne and

trains the odd galloper as a hobby. Gus Clutterbuck’s father-in-law is the Washdyke trainer, Pat Corboy, who is enjoying yet another highly successful season. Corby, who prepared the champion, Grey Way, finished third on the trainer’s premiership two years ago. Grey Way was back in the North Island in march to take part in exhibition gallops at Awapuni with Gus his minder. “I’ve always envisaged training horses in the long run,” said Clutterbuck, who has renewed his jockey’s licence for the coming season, but has no firm plans for his future as a rider. His career in the saddle has been marred by several serious injuries, including a broken pelvis on two separate occasions. In his only full season without injury ‘ he finished third . on the jockey’s premiership behind Bob Vance and David Peake in the 1978-79 term. This was achieved after a very long

period on the sideline and earned him a nomination for Racing Personality of the Year. Clutterbuck who was apprenticed to Jim Sellwood, at Awapuni, has been associated with some top gallopers, including the brilliant Lilt, Rose Mellay, London Trader, Prince Lee, Despa, Fraxable, Ragham, Colorado Boy, Dark Knowledge, Aristoc, Chelsea Tower and Heidelberg. “For speed alone, Lilt was the best horse I’ve put a leg across, but performance wise, Fraxable’s all-the-way win in the Chalmers Handicap (3200 m at Wellington was incredible,” he said. His best wins are the Tenderkist Cup on Despa and the Wanganui Guineas and the Canterbury Jockey Club’s Winter Cup on London trader. He has enjoyed rewarding associations over the years with the trainers, Garth Ivil, Dave O’Sullivan and more recently Noel Eales, among others, and some time ago moved to Takanini for a short stint with Ray Verner. His biggest disappointment in racing was losing the winning ride on Koiro Trelay in the New Zealand and Wellington Cups through injury. Two and a half weeks before the New Zealand Cup, he fractured his pelvis in a race fall at Stratford. Clutterbuck and his partner, Jim Rusher, will begin the new season with 10 horses in work with room for more. Most of the gallopers are owned by Rusher’s wife Robin, including form maidens Star of Ibiza and All Armour. There is a covered barn with 18 boxes and a 1000 m track at the Rusher property. All fast work is done at Awapuni a few kilometres up the road. First runners for the Clut-terbuck-Rusher combination will appear at either Hastings or Levin in the coming weeks.