WILLIAMS ON A MUSWELLBROOK MISSION

By Graham Potter | Sunday, March 8, 2026

Want to see a top Group 1 winning rider in action?

Well, you can head to Muswellbrook on Sunday to do that where Melbourne Cup winning jockey Craig Williams will be riding the Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich trained Clear Thinking in the Evergreen Turf H&N WRA Country Championships Qualifier over a 1280m trip.

Williams will ride at Muswellbrook for the very first time.

Not surprisingly, Clear Thinking is a dominant $2 favourite, but that is not all to do with the Williams booking. Clear Thinking has an impressive record of her own.

A lightly raced six-year-old mare, the daughter of Dubawi has raced eight times for five wins and one second place finish.

Showing huge early potential, Clear Thinking won her first four starts in a row, before tasting defeat for the first time when stepping up to Group 3 company in the Triscay Stakes over 1200m at Randwick when finishing second, only 0.65 lengths behind Inhibitions.

Clear Thinking followed that up with a fifth place finish in the Group 3 Wenona Girl, again at Randwick, again over 1200m.

The Messara / Gavranich team then put Clear thinking away for seven-and-a-half months, giving her just one trail (which she won) before sending her straight into the $2 million Kosciusko.

That plan came together in in thrilling fashion when Clear Thinking outgunned Gallant Star to take home the $1 million first prize.

She had one more run in the $1 million Group 2 The Hunter at Newcastle where she finished fourth … before once again being given a break from race action, this time for four months.

Now she is all set to return at Muswellbrook, which in all likelihood will be the start of a journey she will take on her way to preparing to defend her Kosciuszko crown.

That race is all of seven months away though, but it looks like Craig Williams has already given Clear Thinking his vote of confidence.

*Williams will make the trip to Muswellbrook fresh after a big Group race double at Flemington on Saturday where he won the $2 million Group 1 All-Star Mile on Tom Kitten and the $300 000 Group 2 Sires Produce Stakes on Grinzinger Heart.

More articles