Overpass eyeing third Quokka
Four starts at Ascot have delivered two wins in the A$5 million (S$4.17 million) slot race feature over 1,200m and a pair of victories in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1,200m) for a perfectly rich record at the track.
Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker has taken a slightly different approach this time, veering from starting in The Quokka first-up like he has over the past two years.
This time round, the Vancouver six-year-old went in second-up after being collared on the line by Briasa in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1,200m) at Randwick on April 5.
"I'm looking forward to getting back over there," said Baker, who made his way to Perth on April 21.
"It has become my second home at the back end of autumn and summer.
"Overpass travelled over really well and we've followed a similar routine over the last couple of years.
"I don't think he overdid it in the TJ and he looks to have come through it pretty well.
"If anything, he looks better and staying at Simon Miller's stable, everything is replicated to a degree."
Perth has agreed with the gelding over the past couple of years. The New Zealand-born Baker, who has called Sydney home since 2011, identifies the dimensions of the Ascot circuit as something that has really suited the horse.
"The great thing about him is that he has a high cruising speed, so he is able to jump and travel, and absorb pressure which he has done very well," said Baker, who is of Kiwi-Swede origin and is about to be naturalised Australian.
"Even though he'd won two Quokkas and Winterbottoms, I thought his last Winterbottom win was amazing.
"He had to absorb pressure the whole way and I thought we were in a lot of trouble at the 600 (metre mark). I thought, arguably, that was his best ever win."
The 10-time winner and stakes earner in excess of A$10 million has been a solid main fancy throughout betting for The Quokka, a race named after a marsupial indigenous to Western Australia.
"He definitely likes it over there and he has been a touch underrated even by myself and the team," said Baker.
"I think if anything, often he looks really, really well come Winterbottom time, but last year I probably wasn't as happy as I have been. This time he looks better."
Overpass is at 13-10 in all-in markets with the two other Sydney raiders, the Matthew Smith-trained Headwall and Matthew Dale-trained Front Page at 5-1 and 7-1 respectively.
"You're always wary of who is in the field. Headwall is there and Front Page is a good horse who is up on speed, and then the locals, so we're not taking it for granted," he added. "But I think he is going well and he has been a dream horse."
There will indeed be no shortage of local hopefuls who will try and stop Overpass from whisking the trophy away again.
Leading the charge are 2024 Group 3 Gold Rush (1,400m) winner Western Empire, The Boss Lady and Jokers Grin, respective winner and runner-up of the Group 3 Roma Cup (1,100m) on April 12.
There is also West Star, better remembered by Singapore racing fans as the smart winner of the Singapore Pools Trophy 2025 Handicap (1,200m) on April 5. SKY RACING WORLD
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