It took the fifth running of ‘The Championships’ at Randwick to show that this glittering two-day race meeting that stretches over eight days in the calendar had seriously taken off.

Saturday had just about everything the modern day enthusiast requires or desires — four G1 contests, showcasing a group of the best jockeys and horses in the country, fine weather, plus the biggest name in Australian racing, Winx.

For box office, it was a clever move in giving permission for the wonder mare to engage in an exhibition gallop between races. She was partnered by her regular jockey Hugh Bowman, who shook off the effects of an injury plus a virus to take part in the exercise.

It served as the ideal appetiser to next Saturday’s card, on which Winx will attempt to equal Black Caviar’s record of 25 consecutive wins by taking the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes a second time.

But back to last Saturday, when Happy Clapper, a seven-year-old son of Darley shuttle stallion Teofilo, was the star of the show.

This popular ‘miler’ became only the ninth horse to have landed both the Epsom Handicap in the Spring and the Doncaster Mile in the Autumn of the same racing season.

His victory was applauded by the 19,832 crowd, many of whom had seen him finish runner-up in the two previous runnings of the Doncaster, behind Winx (2016) and It’s Somewhat (2017).

Trainer Pat Webster, who has held a licence for five decades, said: “I don’t know if you can call him a champion, but if you took the mare (Winx) away, look what he has done.”

The records show Happy Clapper has won 11 of his 34 starts, and he will not be given a chance to rest on his laurels.

The gelding is set to run against Winx for the eighth time when he tackles Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes. He has never finished ahead of the great mare, though, as Webster points out: “There’s $570,000 for running second, so we’ll go there again.”