Clarken Racing | Clarken Racing News 53053 Will Clarken Appoints Co Trainer Niki Oshea To Take Stable To The Next Level

Looking to take his stable to the next level, Will Clarken has welcomed former jumps jockey Niki O'Shea to his team, appointing him co-trainer from next month.

With Clarken set to open a new stable at Murray Bridge next year, in addition to his farm at Sellicks Hill and boxes at Morphettville, he's decided the time is right to make the move.

O'Shea came to Adelaide from Ireland in 2013, securing a handful of victories over the sticks before making the switch to training, collecting 31 winners with his partner Ashton Downing.

Clarken is confident that joining forces with O'Shea will help the stable reach greater heights.

"We're very similar but he's probably more committed to spending the time around the horses and I'm more thinking about the business, so we're keen to share the stress load, share the burden and share the success," he said.

"He's a really good horseman and we've probably been under-coaching our younger horses and underachieved a little bit.

"The other issue we've got is we don't have enough stables so when Murray Bridge opens up I think we'll go from 30 horses to 50 quite quickly.

"We've got 110 horses (on the books), so we've just got to get them coached up a bit better.

"He's an awesome horseman, we've been friends for a long time and he trains horses hard, at a high-level intensity, which will suit me. We've got pretty similar philosophies there.

"He's done a really good job with some of the horses he's had."

After running a bold second with Ironclad in the Group 1 Northerly Stakes last week, Clarken hopes to go one better when Beau Rossa lines up in the $1.5 million Gold Rush at Ascot on Saturday.

The five-year-old was unlucky when seventh in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes and the trainer is thrilled with how he's come through the run.

"I'm ecstatic about him," Clarken said of the $17 chance.

"I could argue he should've run third (in the Winterbottom) and he seems to have peaked for this run.

"He's a horse that takes a bit of racing - he was third-up in the Memsie (Stakes) when he ran second.

"It's going to take a good Todd Pannell ride from the gate (eight) but we'll be right, I think he'll run really well."

Clarken also takes a dual-pronged attack to the Listed Christmas Handicap at Morphettville but he is slightly less optimistic about the hopes of He's A Balter ($11) and Second Slip ($26).

"They're both horses who have probably outperformed their ability and have to carry big ratings now," he said.

"He's A Balter was good the other day but needs to improve and Second Slip is getting to the twilight years of his career and we've put the blinkers on to see if that sparks something.

"We'll be happy if they both run well."