Melbourne Cup winners Ciaron Maher and David Eustace eye Clan O'Sullivan race in Canberra

Like at the Queanbeyan races on Boxing Day, where crowds flock to the track for arguably the biggest day of the year even if it's more about a post-Christmas catch up than the quality of the fields.

And then later this week the Clan O'Sullivan, a new Canberra racing initiative named in honour of Cleary's champion sprinter that is already on the radar of Melbourne Cup winners.

Cup-winning trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have nominated for the inaugural Clan O'Sullivan (1000m) on Friday, with Gai Waterhouse and James Cummins also throwing their hat in the ring.

It's part of a new $400,000 Canberra speed series and doubles as a preparation race for the Magic Millions, which is where Cleary made his mark on Australian racing.

Clan O'Sullivan won the Magic Millions and Black Opal, and along with Catbird, helped Cleary carve out a legendary career that's still going 30 years later.

Not that it's all been smooth sailing. Cleary had a heart attack in 2020 and then spent seven months away from the track last year to recover from a prostate issue.

"I poke along. It gets me out of bed ... I enjoy what I'm doing, but I wouldn't go back to the stage where I had 50 or 60 in work," Cleary laughs.

"The quack wanted me to give it away completely when I had a heart attack a couple of years ago. But when you're doing what you love, you can't give it away.

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"I had the prostate problem as well, but I'm fighting fit now. I knew I had to do something, and racing and football has all I've known. Being away does make you appreciate it a bit more, and the Clan O'Sullivan is great recognition for what he did."

Cleary and son Joe went head to head in the second race at Queanbeyan on Monday as the crowd rolled in.

Joe's Epaullo Creed was far too good for his dad's two runners - My Sidekick and Lanyon Bride.

"The last time he beat me I told him he was out of the will," Cleary said. "He said, 'good, I won't have to pay your bills'."

The home track battle lines will be replaced by hope Joe can win a race that means much more than the $30,000 winner's cheque.

Joe has nominated Kiss The Colours for the Clan O'Sullivan for a potential showdown with Maher and Eustace just two months after Gold Trip won them the Melbourne Cup.

Maher and Eustace have nominated Denman Star, while Waterhouse has Hokusai and The Little Pumper, and Cummins has Relatives.

Whether they make the trip to Canberra will be determined later in the week, but Love Shuck trainer Todd Smart has welcomed the extra competition as he searches for his own two-year-old diamond in the rough.

The Clan O'Sullivan race is part of a three-race series with $300,000 in prizemoney up for grabs. If the same horse wins all three races - the Clan O'Sullivan, the Black Opal Preview and the Black Opal - it will pocket an extra $100,000 as a bonus.

Smart picked up Love Shuck as a $6000 bargain and the unraced gelding is one of three two-year-olds he has high hopes for.

"I've got a fair opinion of him. And the race series is very good for the club, it would be good to win the first running of the Clan O'Sullivan, that's for sure," Smart said.

"I've got three really nice two-year-olds coming through that will be genuine chances in the Black Opal, so I'm looking forward to this year.

"Love Shuck was pretty cheap, but he looks like he's going to make a lot more than that and he certainly doesn't know his pricetag."

Smart is staying put at Thoroughbred Park despite the controversy of the past 12 months, which saw the Canberra Racing Club come under attack from the ACT Greens and several trainers relocate to NSW bases due to higher worker compensation costs in Canberra.

The highlight of his year was Washington Town's strong form, and he hopes happier times are ahead for the capital's racing industry in 2023.

"I think it's going to get bigger and better. There are a few things to work out, but I don't want to move. We can still train a good winner out of Canberra."

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