Red-hot Baker ready to strike with twin chances in Rosehill feature
So when the Warwick Farm trainer targets a feature with a horse attempting a seven-day back-up for the first time and another racing second up off a last-place finish, it would be dangerous to write him off.
Baker, coming to the end of a breakout season, has last-start winner Thunderlips and Robusto tackling the listed Winter Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Five-year-old Robusto, which won the $2 million The Ingham at Randwick in December and was second in three other features in his first campaign with Baker, resumed in the group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) on June 14, where he faded to finish last after working forward early from a wide gate.
With gate one on Saturday and 60 kilograms, Robusto is $8 with Sportsbet to hit back at Rosehill.
Baker is confident of an improved showing back in grade.
'It was a tough ask, and he drew badly, which was always going to make it tricky,' Baker said of the Eagle Farm run.
'That work he had to do first up, he was always going to be vulnerable. It was a risky play, but you've got to be in it to win it.
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Courier-Mail
a day ago
- Courier-Mail
Robusto too tough in Winter Challenge as Bjorn Baker eyes Group 1 target
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Trainer Bjorn Baker is considering giving Robusto another Group 1 crack in early spring after his tough galloper came out on top in a dogfight with Accredited at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Robusto and Accredited went nose-and-nose for much of the straight as Baker's gelding got the nod in a photo finish to the Listed $200,000 Winter Challenge (1500m). The tough performance had Baker ready to raise the bar higher again with a fit horse in the early spring. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'We might even go to the (Group 2) Missile Stakes back to 1200m and then look at a race like the (Group 1) Winx Stakes if he was to run well there,' Baker said. 'He is up and going and fit and well.' Baker caused a boilover to win the Winx Stakes in 2019 with Samadoubt, who also wore the white and navy blue colours of Darby Racing. Robusto has already been valuable horse since joining Baker's stable after Darby purchased the gelding online for $160,000. The son of Churchill won the $2m The Ingham in his first preparation for Baker last December and banked another $109,000 for his win in the Winter Challenge. 'He has been a bit of a revelation,' Baker said. 'Another horse Darby Racing have purchased and they just find them at all levels and found another two (online) during the week. 'I am lucky enough to get both of those and I am excited about that but he has been a really good horse and was unlucky last time. 'Of course he won The Ingham and it was good to see him back today with the big weight. • Home-bred cheapie scores knockout win in July Sprint 'We can definitely try to hit the spring with a bit of fitness on our side. 'I am glad he fell in because I tipped him to the world.' Robusto put the writing on the wall second-up when a luckless second in the Listed Winter Stakes after returning to Sydney looking to bounce back from a failed Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap run. But the five-year-old was set a weighty task in his third-up assignment. No horse had carried more than 58kg to victory in the Winter Challenge in its short 15-year history but Robusto was set the task of lugging 60kg on Saturday. He was afforded an energy conserving run after jockey Josh Parr settled on the fence, in behind the leader Accredited. Parr launched off Accredited's back early in the straight and the duo paired off to fight it out with Robusto ($3.10) doing enough to score by a half-head. Chris Waller's Saltcoats ($5.50) was one-and-a-quarter lengths back in third. 'He has had to carry the weight and has earned that weight but we got through there and it turned out to be somewhat of a dogfight,' Parr said. • 'Put my neck on the line': Online buy repays Archibald gamble 'I had in the back of my mind all day, when Tim Clark won The Ingham on him, the fight he showed in the battle. 'I was relying on that but thank God we got him to win.' Robusto's victory gave Baker a personal best ninth Listed winner of the season and 24th stakes triumph in a career best season that has delivered 154 winners. It denied trainer Joe Pride a cleansweep of Sydney's sprinting-middle distance winter stakes races after he won the AO Bob Charley Stakes (In Flight), Civic Stakes (Headley Grange) and Winter Stakes (Estadio Mestalla). However, Accredited, who finished third in the Winter Stakes at his last start, lost no admirers in defeat with Pride more than happy with his performance. 'He was good,' he said. 'It just highlights the difference with this fella on a wet track and a dry track. 'He is at least a two or three lengths better horse. 'There is a 1500m here in a couple of weeks' time so we will have a think about it and see how he pulls up.' Pride's Winter Stakes winner Estadio Mestalla couldn't replicate his last start success after being caught deep in the run and battling on for fifth. Originally published as Trainer Bjorn Baker considering Group 1 target for Robusto after his fighting win in the Winter Challenge at Rosehill
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Trainer Bjorn Baker considering Group 1 target for Robusto after his fighting win in the Winter Challenge at Rosehill
Trainer Bjorn Baker is considering giving Robusto another Group 1 crack in early spring after his tough galloper came out on top in a dogfight with Accredited at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Robusto and Accredited went nose-and-nose for much of the straight as Baker 's gelding got the nod in a photo finish to the Listed $200,000 Winter Challenge (1500m). The tough performance had Baker ready to raise the bar higher again with a fit horse in the early spring. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'We might even go to the (Group 2) Missile Stakes back to 1200m and then look at a race like the (Group 1) Winx Stakes if he was to run well there,' Baker said. 'He is up and going and fit and well.' Baker caused a boilover to win the Winx Stakes in 2019 with Samadoubt, who also wore the white and navy blue colours of Darby Racing. Robusto has already been valuable horse since joining Baker's stable after Darby purchased the gelding online for $160,000. The son of Churchill won the $2m The Ingham in his first preparation for Baker last December and banked another $109,000 for his win in the Winter Challenge. 'He has been a bit of a revelation,' Baker said. 'Another horse Darby Racing have purchased and they just find them at all levels and found another two (online) during the week. 'I am lucky enough to get both of those and I am excited about that but he has been a really good horse and was unlucky last time. 'Of course he won The Ingham and it was good to see him back today with the big weight. A robust win to Robusto! A thrilling battle in the Listed Winter Challenge, with the @BBakerRacing galloper victorious! â›'ï¸� @JoshuaParr8 @Darby_Racing @aus_turf_club â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 19, 2025 • 'We can definitely try to hit the spring with a bit of fitness on our side. 'I am glad he fell in because I tipped him to the world.' Robusto put the writing on the wall second-up when a luckless second in the Listed Winter Stakes after returning to Sydney looking to bounce back from a failed Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap run. But the five-year-old was set a weighty task in his third-up assignment. No horse had carried more than 58kg to victory in the Winter Challenge in its short 15-year history but Robusto was set the task of lugging 60kg on Saturday. He was afforded an energy conserving run after jockey Josh Parr settled on the fence, in behind the leader Accredited. Parr launched off Accredited's back early in the straight and the duo paired off to fight it out with Robusto ($3.10) doing enough to score by a half-head. Chris Waller 's Saltcoats ($5.50) was one-and-a-quarter lengths back in third. 'He has had to carry the weight and has earned that weight but we got through there and it turned out to be somewhat of a dogfight,' Parr said. "He's been a revelation!" Hear from @BBakerRacing and @JoshuaParr8 after Robusto's win in the Listed Winter Challenge ðŸ'� @Darby_Racing @aus_turf_club â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 19, 2025 • 'Put my neck on the line': Yoshinobu repays Archibald gamble 'I had in the back of my mind all day, when Tim Clark won The Ingham on him, the fight he showed in the battle. 'I was relying on that but thank God we got him to win.' Robusto's victory gave Baker a personal best ninth Listed winner of the season and 24th stakes triumph in a career best season that has delivered 154 winners. It denied trainer Joe Pride a cleansweep of Sydney's sprinting-middle distance winter stakes races after he won the AO Bob Charley Stakes (In Flight), Civic Stakes (Headley Grange) and Winter Stakes (Estadio Mestalla). However, Accredited, who finished third in the Winter Stakes at his last start, lost no admirers in defeat with Pride more than happy with his performance. 'He was good,' he said. 'It just highlights the difference with this fella on a wet track and a dry track. 'He is at least a two or three lengths better horse. 'There is a 1500m here in a couple of weeks' time so we will have a think about it and see how he pulls up.' Pride's Winter Stakes winner Estadio Mestalla couldn't replicate his last start success after being caught deep in the run and battling on for fifth.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Baker looks to spring targets after Robusto rises to Winter Challenge
The $12 Sportsbet chance overcame the consistent Joe Pride-trained sprinter, which made life difficult for him and jockey Tom Sherry in a messy finish. It followed a heavy track win at Warwick Farm carrying 61 kilograms when first up off a 17-week spell and one trial. The five-year-old now has seven wins and 15 placings from 36 starts. 'He's not one of these million-dollar horses, he was just bred in a back paddock with the owners, and it's just wonderful for them and that these stories can happen,' Litt said. 'He'll go on with this, and I'm hoping there's a couple of races coming up, maybe in listed grade, that he can be competitive in.' It was part of a treble for Sherry, who earlier won on Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained Yoshinobu, which was first-up off a gelding operation. Sherry finished the day with victory on Peter Snowden-trained King Of Roseau. Storm The Ramparts' jockey Reece Jones was fined $400 for an audible obscenity in the scales area after the defeat. He said his frustrations had boiled over, and the breach was out of character. He said he had been 'absolutely hammered' by race goers on the way in. Roper lucky to walk away Jockey Josh Parr labelled wayward country galloper Highway Strip 'dangerous' after its part in the fall of apprentice Anna Roper and Rob Agnew-trained Pony Soprano at Rosehill. Roper, who was stood down by the club doctor from the rest of the day, was fortunate to walk away from the fall. Pony Soprano appeared to escape serious injury. The pair fell near the 750m mark of the 1100m Highway Handicap when Danny Williams-trained Highway Strip shifted out, forcing Roper's mount onto the heels of Never Fails. Roper said Highway Strip was racing ungenerously on her inside, and she believed the fall came from a combination of him hanging out and Never Fails cutting across. Parr told stewards he expressed his disappointment to the stable about the horse's poor racing manners and said 'at no point did I feel I had control of that horse'. 'There was no response from the horse from any command that I gave him, and I'd go as far as to say it's a dangerous horse,' Parr said. Highway Strip, the race favourite, hung out on the turn but finished strongly for fourth. Highway Strip had been sent back to the trials previously for its poor racing manners, and Williams told stewards the horse had worked and trialled well since his last-start second at Randwick on January 25. Stewards ordered that Highway Strip trial twice to their satisfaction before being allowed to race again. Three-year-old Shropshire Lad ($8.50) won the race, breaking through for his first Highway win. Knights Armour Knights Armour provided a career highlight for Braidwood cattle farmer and hobby trainer Ross Lavis and Swedish apprentice Rebecca Bronett Prag when the six-year-old gave both a first Saturday city win. Bronett Prag raced Knights Armour ($12) into second-last spot in the 2400m benchmark 78 handicap before cutting the corner with an inside run on the home bend. Knights Armour, the only horse Lavis trains, made the most of the economical trip to land a half-length victory over Good Banter. 'He tries his heart out, and I knew the 2400, he was going to see it out no worries at all,' Lavis said. Bronett Prag, who came to Australia as a teenager, also scored her first metro midweek win with Knights Armour. Maher 2YO scores surprise win Ciaron Maher-trained Without Peer will race into the spring after scoring a surprise win on debut at Rosehill on Saturday. Coming off two unplaced trials, the Pierata gelding was a $12 Sportsbet chance and near last in the 1200m two-year-old handicap before storming down the centre of the track for jockey Chad Schofield to hold off Spice Prawn by a short neck. Maher assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord said the win 'surprised us a bit'. 'He's a gelding, so we will just go through the grades with him and space his runs heading into the spring,' Gerard-Dubord said. 'He's got a lot of talent, but he's still very raw, and we saw that in both of his trials, especially his first one. 'I don't think it was the deepest two-year-old Saturday race, which is why he ran today. 'We just felt 1200 around Rosehill would be a very good starting point. We just wanted him to have a good experience. 'He's still doing a few things wrong, so I think there's a lot more to come.' Loading Big talent on way to success Premier trainer Chris Waller expects Useapin to kick on after she was strong late to win second up at Rosehill on Saturday. The three-year-old daughter of Waller's Everest winner, Yes Yes Yes, fought off Scott Singleton-trained Dollar Magic to claim the benchmark 78 handicap over 1200m for fillies and mares. It was a 14th runner-up effort from Dollar Magic. Waller expected more success after Useapin's fourth victory in 11 starts. 'It was a long straight and Zac [Lloyd] got her out into plenty of air, but she looked like she was going to be vulnerable with 200 to go, but she did enough and she was brave the last bit,' Waller said. 'She's a big girl and she's always shown us promise, but through that big size has struggled to put it together every start, but she's on her way and she should have a good six months.'
