Bjorn Baker will give some of his key spring contenders a tune-up at Friday’s Rosehill barrier trials, while a host of his emerging horses will step out on race day the following afternoon.
Top billing belongs to Sydney Cup winner Arapaho, who is slated to contest a 1000m trial ahead of resuming in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) on Saturday week. The gelding is set for a campaign targeting the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup, and despite being nine, Baker’s racing manager Luke Hilton believes Arapaho remains in top condition.
“He doesn’t look nine at home,” Hilton said. “He is European bred in terms of his age which helps. He looks great. He is very bright within himself and he’s in really good order.”
Also contesting the same heat will be promising filly Within The Law, who is building towards a first-up tilt at the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) on the Winx Stakes undercard.
Saturday’s Rosehill program will see Baker saddle 11 runners across six races, including Perfumist, who resumes in the Petaluma Handicap (1200m). Boasting a near 50 per cent winning strike rate, she was taken to the races two weeks ago for a non-competitive outing to help settle her into this preparation.
“She is a little bit highly strung so we wanted to give her a race day experience without racing,” Hilton said. “We’ve had a lot of success with it and we do it a lot with our horses. We actually had Within The Law (at the Randwick Kensington meeting on Wednesday) and it seems to work. They come here and they have a good experience. They haven’t been put under any pressure and when they come again, it’s not unfamiliar territory.”
Hilton is hopeful Puntin can bounce back in the Precise Air Handicap (1400m) after failing to figure when favourite over 1800m at Randwick last start. Dropping in trip, he’s expected to be more effective provided track conditions improve from Rosehill’s heavy 9 reading on Thursday.
“He may not have handled the 1800 on a really heavy track,” he said. “I think he wants an improving track so hopefully there’s no more rain.”
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