Race fitness is poised to be the key factor for Midnight Dynamite as he enters the Missile Stakes to face more esteemed sprinters like Angel Capital and Napoleonic, although this advantage will be counterbalanced by a reduction in distance.
As one of the standout performers during the Sydney winter, Midnight Dynamite achieved Listed victories in the Civic Stakes (1400m) and the Winter Challenge (1500m), also securing a black-type placing in between these successes.
Trainer Bjorn Baker made the decision to keep him in work, weighing the option of a step up to a mile in Friday’s Coffs Harbour Cup against freshening him for the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m), ultimately favouring the latter.
“We toyed with the idea of running him over a bit further in the Coffs Cup, but just timing-wise and with him being deep into a ‘prep’, we’d rather freshen him and bring him back to the 1200 than go up in trip,” Baker’s racing manager, Luke Hilton, commented.
“He’s in great order. The gate is a big advantage now. He can settle in the first half of a field and if he’s sharp enough, I don’t think they’re going to run past him on fitness.”
Apart from Way To The Stars, who is second-up, Midnight Dynamite’s remaining rivals are all commencing their campaigns.
The five-year-old gelding has a perfect record over the 1200m at Randwick, winning his only start at the track and distance. Hilton indicated that the horse is in good spirits and sharp heading into Saturday’s race.
“He’s in a great frame of mind after his last win. We backed right off him for a week, and we’ve built him back up slowly. He looks fantastic,” he said.
“His work on Tuesday was probably as sharp as I’ve seen him this preparation.
“It’s hard to go to a race like that confident, but I’m confident the horse is as good as he can be.”
Midnight Dynamite ($9) leads a quintet of runners for Baker, with Amazing Eagle ($4) considered the stable’s primary chance for success in the Ranvet Handicap (1000m).
This five-year-old gelding, a winner of the 2024 Brian Crowley Stakes (1100m), was acquired as a tried horse by syndicators Darby Racing – just like Midnight Dynamite – and will be vying for his first victory under his new ownership.
Stardeel ($21) is the rank outsider among Baker’s contenders, having performed poorly in two starts since his impressive first-up win at Rosehill in May.
Hilton mentioned that the horse had valid excuses for his subsequent run but failed to deliver as expected last time, prompting them to try a slightly different approach to encourage a return to his best form.
“We rode him back last start and thought he had a good run in the race, but he didn’t really finish it off. He’s better than that. We’ve seen it,” Hilton noted.
“We’ve tried to space his runs a touch more into this race and give him three weeks. Hopefully it might spark something.
“He’s got a good gate where he’ll have no excuses and do no work, so he’s really got to step up to the mark because he has been a head scratcher.”
Betting markets for the Missile Stakes are now open at leading online bookmakers.
