On the mantelpiece in his lounge room sits two trophies more prominent than any others collected across almost half-a-century of training horses.

One is the Golden Slipper. The other? His sole Queanbeyan Cup claimed in 2009 with Bomber Command after trying to win his home-town showpiece for almost four decades.

The family now has four cups in its collection, thanks to Frank's son Joe, who has emerged from his father's shadow as Queanbeyan's leading trainer over the past decade. Joe will chase another on Sunday with Subtly Spring.

His meteoric rise began around the time Sharlene came into his life. The pair married in 2012 and haven't looked back.

Twelve months ago they enjoyed arguably their best day at their home track, when Cleary led in four winners including Havaduel, who won the larrikin trainer his third Queanbeyan Cup.

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"Because you're a local boy and it took dad so long to win it, you just bust your gut trying to do it," Cleary said.

"We were lucky. We won it with the right horses. Landlocked, Hudson County, Havaduel was a bit of a bonus.

"Archie Turner's won four; he was a local legend here. It'd be nice to have my name etched alongside Archie. That's the goal - to win four."

Cleary and Sharlene both grew up in Queanbeyan.

They knew each other growing up, but were never close given Cleary attended Queanbeyan High School, and Sharlene went to Karabar High.

"I've known him for a long time because Queanbeyan's a pretty small community," Sharlene recalled.

"I went to Queanbeyan East [in primary school], then we moved house and I was zoned in the Karabar area. Otherwise I would've gone to Queanbeyan High in which case we never would've got married.

"I didn't have to put up with him during the school years, he would've been a lunatic."

Since reconnecting, Sharlene has become an important pillar of Joe Cleary Racing, which has expanded over the past decade to be a bulging, two-town operation. Cleary's stables at Queanbeyan are perennially full, as are his eight boxes down at Moruya.

"When we met he probably only had like six in work or something and we were a smaller stable," Sharlene said.

"I do all our books and invoicing. I'm here quite a few mornings a week - it's probably the busiest we've ever been."

Cleary sums up their relationship by simply saying: "As they say, behind every good man's a better woman, so I've been very fortunate".

"We've known each other for the majority of our lives but it's all been for the better, and we've been married 10 years next year."

They have eight runners lining up on Sunday, with Subtly Spring looking for a form reversal to spring an upset in the $45,000 cup.

His best chance might just be resuming sprinter Up Trumpz, in the $35,000 Thunderbolt Handicap which Cleary won last year with Kiss My Swiss.

Epaullo Creed lines up in the maiden showcase handicap (1460m) after a strong second at the track two weeks ago, while Choccy Gaf looks ready to peak third-up in the class 3 handicap over the same trip.

"I like to support the local community being a local boy and hopefully another cup on the mantelpiece," Joe said.

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