Trainer Bjorn Baker considering Group 1 target for Robusto after his fighting win in the Winter Challenge at Rosehill
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.
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'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 pic.twitter.com/aHKJRkQjfq
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 pic.twitter.com/UCsch3awDR
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.
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ABC News
37 minutes ago
- ABC News
Australian relay teams win gold on day one of world swimming championships
The Australian swimming team has had an outstanding start to the World Aquatics Championships, winning two gold and a silver to open the competition. Australia's men's and women's 4x100m freestyle relay teams both claimed gold, while Sam Short won silver in the men's 400 metre freestyle. The all-conquering women's 4x100m freestyle relay team won gold ahead the US in second and the Netherlands in third, to extend a major championship winning run that began with a world record set at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast. The Australian men's team followed up just minutes later with a stunning come-from-behind win anchored by veteran Kyle Chalmers to set a championship record of 3:08.07 ahead of Italy, with the US favourites in third. Chalmers dived in with Australia in third place after earlier legs by Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor and Maximilliam Giuliani, but stormed home in 46.53 seconds to secure the victory. "It's so good to be part of a relay team that's so young and hungry and eager to have success in LA like I am," Chalmers said. "We've won bronze, bronze, silver, I really desperately want to win a gold medal in a few years' time." Southam said the goal for himself, Taylor and Giuliani "was just to give Kyle a punter's hope". "And we all did our job extraordinarily well, but we came together and represented the country, so there's no greater honour, I think, and to do it in a relay is so much more special than an individual event," Southam said. Giuliani said the result, on the first day of the swimming competition in Singapore, was "unbelievable". "We spoke about it the first day we came together on staging … and to deliver on that in great fashion — I mean championship record [and] we weren't too far off the world record," he said. "I think we've got a whole lot of potential in this team." The women's race was equally dramatic. Mollie O'Callaghan led out and established a lead by the first change, which was extended in the following two legs swum by Meg Harris and Milla Jansen. In the final leg, Olivia Wunsch was chased down by Olympic relay gold medallist Torri Huske, who turned at the 350m mark in first place. But Wunsch turned on the afterburners to reclaim first place, touching the wall in 3:30.6 seconds. "I just wanted to power home and give it all I had and it's really exciting to be able to stand up with a gold medal today," Wunsch said. "I love racing, and I love anchoring a relay so that was really exciting. O'Callaghan said the team was "very nervous leading up to this". "I thought I've just got to try my best for these three girls and especially the girls in the heat," she said. "It's nice to know that we have a strong set-up for LA and Brisbane and, yeah, I'm very confident in these girls and it's going to be a great week." The US team had been rocked by a case of gastroenteritis that has gone through the team after a staging camp in Thailand. Just minutes before the final, multiple Olympic relay gold medallist, Gretchen Walsh pulled out of the team. But Huske said the team wasn't making excuses. "I don't want to speak to how much it's affected us necessarily," she said. "We've done a really good job in staying resilient." Earlier in the night, Sam Short fell agonisingly short of a gold medal, losing by just 0.02 seconds to German world record holder Lukas Martens. Short's time of 3:42.37 was 0.3 seconds slower than the time he swam in the morning's heats. But rather than express disappointment, Short said he was pleased to be back on a world championship podium after previously taking gold at the 2023 championships in Fukuoka. "So happy to be back on the podium," he said. "It was a pleasure to race the Olympic champion, world record holder and now world champion, so I knew he was going to be a tough opponent. "I'm really proud of how hard I pushed myself and you know, .02, it's not the end of the world, silver medal, I get to get back on the podium and long meet to come." He said the result was some consolation after a disappointing campaign at the Paris Olympic Games, where he was a chance to win the gold medal in the 400m freestyle but narrowly missed bronze in the final. He then missed the finals of the 800m and 1500m and dubbed his Olympic Games "a failure". As to why he swam slower in the evening than his morning time, which would have won gold, he said in hindsight he could have gone slower in his heat swim. "I felt comfortable this morning, I actually felt I could have gone 3:40 this morning," he said. "So, you know just a high-pressure environment, backing that up, small turnaround and also a great field as well. "When I was with him with 100 to go, I knew it was going to be a dogfight — he's a pretty good level, he's the world record holder. "I knew I wasn't going to be pulling away and I was hurting as well. "I've got a good finish on me, and it wasn't quite good enough today." Short still has swims in the 800m and 1500m freestyle events and the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. In the women's 400m freestyle final, Lani Pallister was in second until the 250m mark, but faded to finish fourth behind world record holder Summer McIntosh. China's Bingjie Li was second, with US veteran Katie Ledecky in third. McIntosh's campaign to claim five individual gold medals at a world championships is on track and while her time of 3:56.26 is more than two seconds slower than the world record she set earlier this year, it was still two seconds faster than Li. Pallister's time of 3:58.87 was a personal best. "I think fourth is a bit shit, but if it's fourth and a PB you can't really ask for more," Pallister said. Pallister said a young girl from Singapore had given her a pin with a picture of her when she was five. She said she was looking at the pin as she made her way into the pool on Sunday night. "That little girl would think that I was like the coolest person in the world, to be standing in that final, let alone being fourth," she said. Another Australian, Pallister's lifelong friend Jamie Perkins, was sixth in a personal best time of 4:03.2. Perkins said she was "pretty disappointed", despite the personal best time, but said she was learning. "I'm still young, so see what we get moving forward," Perkins said.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Green helps Aussies put on a Big Show for 4-0 T20 lead
Glenn Maxwell lived up to his Big Show nickname and Cameron Green and Josh Inglis continued their hot form, as Australia swept to a 4-0 lead in the T20I cricket series against West Indies in St Kitts. Chasing the home team's 9-205, Australia reached their target with three wickets and four balls to spare. They looked to be cruising at 2-129 at the halfway stage, after taking 21 off the 10th over, but lost 3-5. Green (55 not out off 35 balls) and the recalled Aaron Hardie (23 off 16) added 61, and the loss of two late wickets wasn't significant. Green, who scored his third half-century of the series, Inglis (51 off 30) and Maxwell (47 off 18) produced the batting fireworks. Maxwell, named man of the match, thrashed six sixes, including a trademark helicopter flick and a one-handed swipe over long-on. The Australian catching was exceptional, with Maxwell going low and leaping high to take two excellent efforts at mid-off in the powerplay, and Mitchell Owen taking a diving snare at deep backward point. Maxwell's excellent athleticism shone again late in the innings, when he took a high catch at long-on, and before falling over the boundary line he flicked the ball back to Green to complete the dismissal. "I put a lot of emphasis on my fielding, I think it's one of the things I've always held a high regard for," Maxwell told broadcaster ESPN. The West Indies innings was full of brief explosive batting cameos, with Sherfane Rutherford (31 off 15), Romario Shepherd (28 off 18), Rovman Powell (28 off 22) and Jason Holder (26 off 16) unable to push on. Wickets fell at regular intervals, but the home side maintained a strong run rate, smashing 21 fours and 12 sixes. Nathan Ellis (0-21 off four overs) and Hardie (2-24 off four) both bowled tidily on a small ground with short boundaries. Xavier Bartlett finished with 2-39 off his four overs. Paceman Sean Abbott (2-61 off 4) and legspinner Adam Zampa (3-54 off four) bore the brunt of the assault. Captain Mitchell Marsh was given out lbw for a second-ball duck, though technology showed he erred in not reviewing the decision, because the ball pitched outside leg stump. Inglis, who scored 78 not out in the second game, smashed the ball all around the ground. He added a six to 10 fours, one of which was an audacious reverse pull. Maxwell was largely a spectator in the first five overs, facing just three balls and scoring only one of Australia's first 49 runs off the bat, while Inglis tore into the West Indies bowlers. Inglis's pyrotechnics came to an end one ball after the powerplay when he hit a full toss to deep backward square leg. Maxwell was out first ball after the mid-innings break, swatting the ball to long-on, and Owen and Cooper Connolly fell cheaply to catches off left-arm quick Jediah Blades (3-29 off four). West Indies dropped three catches and bowled 16 wides as they extended their record for the most unsuccessful T20I defences of scores of over 200 to seven times. Captain Shai Hope rated their fielding across the seven tour matches, including three Tests, as "sub par". Australia can compete an eight-match winning sweep of the tour by taking out the final T20I in St Kitts on Tuesday. Glenn Maxwell lived up to his Big Show nickname and Cameron Green and Josh Inglis continued their hot form, as Australia swept to a 4-0 lead in the T20I cricket series against West Indies in St Kitts. Chasing the home team's 9-205, Australia reached their target with three wickets and four balls to spare. They looked to be cruising at 2-129 at the halfway stage, after taking 21 off the 10th over, but lost 3-5. Green (55 not out off 35 balls) and the recalled Aaron Hardie (23 off 16) added 61, and the loss of two late wickets wasn't significant. Green, who scored his third half-century of the series, Inglis (51 off 30) and Maxwell (47 off 18) produced the batting fireworks. Maxwell, named man of the match, thrashed six sixes, including a trademark helicopter flick and a one-handed swipe over long-on. The Australian catching was exceptional, with Maxwell going low and leaping high to take two excellent efforts at mid-off in the powerplay, and Mitchell Owen taking a diving snare at deep backward point. Maxwell's excellent athleticism shone again late in the innings, when he took a high catch at long-on, and before falling over the boundary line he flicked the ball back to Green to complete the dismissal. "I put a lot of emphasis on my fielding, I think it's one of the things I've always held a high regard for," Maxwell told broadcaster ESPN. The West Indies innings was full of brief explosive batting cameos, with Sherfane Rutherford (31 off 15), Romario Shepherd (28 off 18), Rovman Powell (28 off 22) and Jason Holder (26 off 16) unable to push on. Wickets fell at regular intervals, but the home side maintained a strong run rate, smashing 21 fours and 12 sixes. Nathan Ellis (0-21 off four overs) and Hardie (2-24 off four) both bowled tidily on a small ground with short boundaries. Xavier Bartlett finished with 2-39 off his four overs. Paceman Sean Abbott (2-61 off 4) and legspinner Adam Zampa (3-54 off four) bore the brunt of the assault. Captain Mitchell Marsh was given out lbw for a second-ball duck, though technology showed he erred in not reviewing the decision, because the ball pitched outside leg stump. Inglis, who scored 78 not out in the second game, smashed the ball all around the ground. He added a six to 10 fours, one of which was an audacious reverse pull. Maxwell was largely a spectator in the first five overs, facing just three balls and scoring only one of Australia's first 49 runs off the bat, while Inglis tore into the West Indies bowlers. Inglis's pyrotechnics came to an end one ball after the powerplay when he hit a full toss to deep backward square leg. Maxwell was out first ball after the mid-innings break, swatting the ball to long-on, and Owen and Cooper Connolly fell cheaply to catches off left-arm quick Jediah Blades (3-29 off four). West Indies dropped three catches and bowled 16 wides as they extended their record for the most unsuccessful T20I defences of scores of over 200 to seven times. Captain Shai Hope rated their fielding across the seven tour matches, including three Tests, as "sub par". Australia can compete an eight-match winning sweep of the tour by taking out the final T20I in St Kitts on Tuesday. Glenn Maxwell lived up to his Big Show nickname and Cameron Green and Josh Inglis continued their hot form, as Australia swept to a 4-0 lead in the T20I cricket series against West Indies in St Kitts. Chasing the home team's 9-205, Australia reached their target with three wickets and four balls to spare. They looked to be cruising at 2-129 at the halfway stage, after taking 21 off the 10th over, but lost 3-5. Green (55 not out off 35 balls) and the recalled Aaron Hardie (23 off 16) added 61, and the loss of two late wickets wasn't significant. Green, who scored his third half-century of the series, Inglis (51 off 30) and Maxwell (47 off 18) produced the batting fireworks. Maxwell, named man of the match, thrashed six sixes, including a trademark helicopter flick and a one-handed swipe over long-on. The Australian catching was exceptional, with Maxwell going low and leaping high to take two excellent efforts at mid-off in the powerplay, and Mitchell Owen taking a diving snare at deep backward point. Maxwell's excellent athleticism shone again late in the innings, when he took a high catch at long-on, and before falling over the boundary line he flicked the ball back to Green to complete the dismissal. "I put a lot of emphasis on my fielding, I think it's one of the things I've always held a high regard for," Maxwell told broadcaster ESPN. The West Indies innings was full of brief explosive batting cameos, with Sherfane Rutherford (31 off 15), Romario Shepherd (28 off 18), Rovman Powell (28 off 22) and Jason Holder (26 off 16) unable to push on. Wickets fell at regular intervals, but the home side maintained a strong run rate, smashing 21 fours and 12 sixes. Nathan Ellis (0-21 off four overs) and Hardie (2-24 off four) both bowled tidily on a small ground with short boundaries. Xavier Bartlett finished with 2-39 off his four overs. Paceman Sean Abbott (2-61 off 4) and legspinner Adam Zampa (3-54 off four) bore the brunt of the assault. Captain Mitchell Marsh was given out lbw for a second-ball duck, though technology showed he erred in not reviewing the decision, because the ball pitched outside leg stump. Inglis, who scored 78 not out in the second game, smashed the ball all around the ground. He added a six to 10 fours, one of which was an audacious reverse pull. Maxwell was largely a spectator in the first five overs, facing just three balls and scoring only one of Australia's first 49 runs off the bat, while Inglis tore into the West Indies bowlers. Inglis's pyrotechnics came to an end one ball after the powerplay when he hit a full toss to deep backward square leg. Maxwell was out first ball after the mid-innings break, swatting the ball to long-on, and Owen and Cooper Connolly fell cheaply to catches off left-arm quick Jediah Blades (3-29 off four). West Indies dropped three catches and bowled 16 wides as they extended their record for the most unsuccessful T20I defences of scores of over 200 to seven times. Captain Shai Hope rated their fielding across the seven tour matches, including three Tests, as "sub par". Australia can compete an eight-match winning sweep of the tour by taking out the final T20I in St Kitts on Tuesday.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Giants' double injury blow as AFL finals race heats up
GWS have suffered a double-blow in their AFL finals bid after key pair Josh Kelly and Jack Buckley were ruled out for the rest of the home-and-away season through injuries. Kelly was substituted out of the Giants' 44-point win over Sydney on Friday night and scans have since confirmed a calf strain. The 30-year-old midfielder was also managed earlier this month with a hip issue. Tall defender Buckley also has a calf strain out of the Sydney derby and faces multiple weeks on the sidelines. The pair are among three big names to miss the Giants' huge clash with the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night, with captain Toby Greene suspended. GWS (13-6) sit sixth, two wins clear of the ninth-placed Dogs (11-8) but with an inferior percentage. Meanwhile, Collingwood are hopeful midfielder Lachie Sullivan has avoided serious damage with a posterior cruciate ligament injury that could end his season. Sullivan was subbed out of the Magpies' 36-point win over Richmond on Sunday, while Scott Pendlebury was a late withdrawal because of soreness. Pendlebury is expected to be fit to face Brisbane in an MCG blockbuster on Saturday night, but Sullivan may not feature again in the Pies' premiership push. "It's a PCL. Scans will determine how long," Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of Pendlebury's injury. "We'll just wait and see on that before making too many comments around it. "But unfortunately for the young lad he had an impact into the ground which caused the PCL (injury)." Richmond expect star midfielder Tim Taranto will be fit in round 21 after he was a late withdrawal against Collingwood with a calf injury. St Kilda youngster Lance Collard faces a stint on the sidelines after he was subbed out of the epic six-point comeback win over Melbourne on Sunday with a foot injury and ended the day on crutches. West Coast young gun Harley Reid will be hoping for a positive outcome from his scans on an injured right ankle, amid fears of a syndesmosis injury. Reid was helped off the field by two trainers in the dying stages of the Eagles' 49-point loss to Fremantle on Saturday. "I just chatted to him - he's hurt his ankle," West Coast coach Andrew McQualter said post-match. "I probably don't have much more information than that. "You can see Harley put no weight on it as he was coming off, and then he was able to walk off. "We'll go away, scan it and see." GWS have suffered a double-blow in their AFL finals bid after key pair Josh Kelly and Jack Buckley were ruled out for the rest of the home-and-away season through injuries. Kelly was substituted out of the Giants' 44-point win over Sydney on Friday night and scans have since confirmed a calf strain. The 30-year-old midfielder was also managed earlier this month with a hip issue. Tall defender Buckley also has a calf strain out of the Sydney derby and faces multiple weeks on the sidelines. The pair are among three big names to miss the Giants' huge clash with the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night, with captain Toby Greene suspended. GWS (13-6) sit sixth, two wins clear of the ninth-placed Dogs (11-8) but with an inferior percentage. Meanwhile, Collingwood are hopeful midfielder Lachie Sullivan has avoided serious damage with a posterior cruciate ligament injury that could end his season. Sullivan was subbed out of the Magpies' 36-point win over Richmond on Sunday, while Scott Pendlebury was a late withdrawal because of soreness. Pendlebury is expected to be fit to face Brisbane in an MCG blockbuster on Saturday night, but Sullivan may not feature again in the Pies' premiership push. "It's a PCL. Scans will determine how long," Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of Pendlebury's injury. "We'll just wait and see on that before making too many comments around it. "But unfortunately for the young lad he had an impact into the ground which caused the PCL (injury)." Richmond expect star midfielder Tim Taranto will be fit in round 21 after he was a late withdrawal against Collingwood with a calf injury. St Kilda youngster Lance Collard faces a stint on the sidelines after he was subbed out of the epic six-point comeback win over Melbourne on Sunday with a foot injury and ended the day on crutches. West Coast young gun Harley Reid will be hoping for a positive outcome from his scans on an injured right ankle, amid fears of a syndesmosis injury. Reid was helped off the field by two trainers in the dying stages of the Eagles' 49-point loss to Fremantle on Saturday. "I just chatted to him - he's hurt his ankle," West Coast coach Andrew McQualter said post-match. "I probably don't have much more information than that. "You can see Harley put no weight on it as he was coming off, and then he was able to walk off. "We'll go away, scan it and see." GWS have suffered a double-blow in their AFL finals bid after key pair Josh Kelly and Jack Buckley were ruled out for the rest of the home-and-away season through injuries. Kelly was substituted out of the Giants' 44-point win over Sydney on Friday night and scans have since confirmed a calf strain. The 30-year-old midfielder was also managed earlier this month with a hip issue. Tall defender Buckley also has a calf strain out of the Sydney derby and faces multiple weeks on the sidelines. The pair are among three big names to miss the Giants' huge clash with the Western Bulldogs on Thursday night, with captain Toby Greene suspended. GWS (13-6) sit sixth, two wins clear of the ninth-placed Dogs (11-8) but with an inferior percentage. Meanwhile, Collingwood are hopeful midfielder Lachie Sullivan has avoided serious damage with a posterior cruciate ligament injury that could end his season. Sullivan was subbed out of the Magpies' 36-point win over Richmond on Sunday, while Scott Pendlebury was a late withdrawal because of soreness. Pendlebury is expected to be fit to face Brisbane in an MCG blockbuster on Saturday night, but Sullivan may not feature again in the Pies' premiership push. "It's a PCL. Scans will determine how long," Collingwood coach Craig McRae said of Pendlebury's injury. "We'll just wait and see on that before making too many comments around it. "But unfortunately for the young lad he had an impact into the ground which caused the PCL (injury)." Richmond expect star midfielder Tim Taranto will be fit in round 21 after he was a late withdrawal against Collingwood with a calf injury. St Kilda youngster Lance Collard faces a stint on the sidelines after he was subbed out of the epic six-point comeback win over Melbourne on Sunday with a foot injury and ended the day on crutches. West Coast young gun Harley Reid will be hoping for a positive outcome from his scans on an injured right ankle, amid fears of a syndesmosis injury. Reid was helped off the field by two trainers in the dying stages of the Eagles' 49-point loss to Fremantle on Saturday. "I just chatted to him - he's hurt his ankle," West Coast coach Andrew McQualter said post-match. "I probably don't have much more information than that. "You can see Harley put no weight on it as he was coming off, and then he was able to walk off. "We'll go away, scan it and see."
