Baker hopes for some movie magic from trial winners
Promising filly Wingardium to target Flight Stakes while the well-related Hollywood Hero continues progression
Bjorn Baker has enjoyed going to the movies.
In 2016 it cost him $200,000 when he perused the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale catalogue, before coming away with a subsequent Listed winner in Goodfella (Snitzel), a colt out of the stakes-placed mare, Movie (Red Ransom).
During a thrilling and ultimately profitable biopic, Goodfella earned Baker and his owners $1.18 million from his four wins in 33 starts, with placings in the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m) and BJ McLachlan Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) further highlights.
In October last year, Baker went back to the movies. This time in New Zealand and for a product of the Kiwi-bred mare Movie (Savabeel), whose first foal Never Been Kissed (Tivaci) had six weeks previously taken out the Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick.
Baker and Ozzie Kheir’s Group 1 Bloodstock went to NZ$600,000 to snap up Never Been Kissed’s year-younger half-brother by Sacred Falls (O’Reilly) at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale from the Ohukia Lodge draft and, now named Hollywood Hero, the recently-turned three-year-old showed his lofty potential with a trial win at Rosehill yesterday.
He was one of three trial winners for Baker, who also sent out Inglis Digital buy O’President (Fastnet Rock) and the Darby Racing-owned filly Wingardium (Vancouver).
“This is a New Zealand Movie, so even better,” joked Kiwi native Baker, having yesterday watched his unraced colt defeat the Team Hawkes-trained Nickelback (Nicconi) in Heat 10 of the trial session over 900 metres, his third trial of the preparation.
Baker is yet to make concrete plans for kicking off the career of Hollywood Hero, and may spell the son of Sacred Falls, but the highly rated colt holds a nomination for the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) this spring.
“I’m going to have a good think about it and see what we do. He’s just a little bit behind the times. He goes very well but I’m not sure he’s fully there yet,” Baker said.
“We’ll speak to connections and then decide from there what we do with him.”
One plan which will not be enacted, at least this weekend, is with Baker’s three-year-old filly Wingardium, who trialled in Heat 9 over 900 metres instead of contesting Saturday’s San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Rosehill, for which she holds a nomination.
The daughter of Vancouver (Medaglia D’Oro) broke her maiden at Randwick in June, flying from the rear of the 11-runner field to win the two-year-old handicap over 1100 metres by half a length.
Wingardum’s trial win yesterday was the second of this preparation, having led home last Saturday’s Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner Zougotcha (Zoustar) in a hit-out over 900 metres at Rosehill on August 12.
Baker is hoping the Darby Racing-owned three-year-old, who is out of six-time-winning mare Leviosa (Magic Albert), will sprinkle some magic this spring.
“I think she’s very genuine, I like her. It was a good win in her last race at Randwick when she was a two-year-old,” he said.
“She’s had a bit of a break in between and there’s not a lot of options for her so we’re going to have to go towards the Furious Stakes, but I do like her, she’s got a big future.
“Her trial form is good and that gives us some confidence. There’s no easy racing at the moment, but she’s going well.”
Darby Racing, who have a history of picking up inexpensive, high-class fillies, including $20,000 buy She Will Reign (Manhattan Rain), winner of the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m), and Yankee Rose (All American), a $10,000 Inglis Classic purchase who won the ATC Sires’ Produce (Gr 1, 1400m) and Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), purchased Wingardium for just $35,000 from the Middlebrook Valley Lodge draft at the Inglis May Sale last year.
Baker, who has last weekend’s Premier’s Cup (Gr 3, 2000m) winner Arapaho (Lope De Vega), recent nine-length trial winner Overpass (Vancouver) and stakes-winning sprinter Malkovich (Choisir) among his spring team, can add to that cohort the recently-purchased O’President, who won the opening heat of yesterday’s trial session, defeating The Everest (1200m)-bound duo Mazu (Maurice) and Masked Crusader (Toronado).
Formerly-trained by Chris Waller to victory in the Skyline Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) as a juvenile, O’President was snapped up by Hong Kong clients for $435,000 from the Inglis Digital May (Early) Sale.
“We’ve been really happy with him since we got him and we’re just going to have a bit of a think where we go. He’s four now, so there’s no set plan. Long-term we’ll probably look at the Golden Eagle,” Baker said.
“I’ve bought a few horses from Inglis Digital and it’s a platform that’s worked well for me.”
Another Baker hopes will make the grade this spring is his progressive daughter of Rubick (Encosta De Lago), Shades Of Rose, who will again step up in grade to a Benchmark 88 contest over 1200 metres at Rosehill on the weekend as she bids to improve on her record of five wins from seven starts.
“We’ll just see what happens Saturday. It’s another step up, but her work this morning was very good and she’s been very progressive,” Baker said.“If she happened to go well on Saturday, we may consider a race like the Sheraco [Stakes] on September 10, but we’ll see what happens and how she comes through.”