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Baker and Ridgmont juveniles gearing up for Magic Millions bids
Trevor Marshallsea
ANZ News
Trainer Bjorn Baker will split up his early prominent two-year-olds Paradoxium (Extreme Choice) and Masvingo (Zoustar) this Saturday as he looks to build another stellar juvenile campaign amid his booming partnership with Ridgmont.
Progressive colt Paradoxium, who earned favouritism for the Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) with an explosive win in MM’s Wyong 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m) earlier this month, will head north as he seeks to add Group success to his CV in Eagle Farm’s BJ McLachlan Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m).
Filly Masvingo, who ran third in that Wyong race after filling the same hole on debut in Randwick’s Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m), was nominated for the McLachlan, but Baker has opted to keep her in Sydney for an 1100-metre two-year-old handicap at Randwick.
With $300,000 on offer in the McLachlan, and the Sydney race worth $160,000, both events can help Paradoxium and Masvingo accumulate prize-money with a view to qualifying for the $5 million Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at Rosehill on March 21.
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Both races are also seen by Baker as stepping stones to the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast on January 17, the prize-money for which does not count towards Slipper qualification, due to the race being restricted to Magic Millions graduates only.
Not only do Paradoxium and Masvingo sport the same colours - Ridgmont’s navy with a gold sash and sleeves as carried to dual Group 1 success by Baker stable star Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard) - but they’re also off the same stud. Both were purchased from the draft of Steve Grant’s southern highlands operation Silverdale Farm at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last January.
Bred by Grant in association with Carpe Diem Asset Management and Brian McGuire, Paradoxium was bought by Baker, Ridgmont and the regular buyer for both - Jim Clarke Bloodstock - for $400,000.
A couple of hours later, Ridgmont and Clarke teamed up to buy the Grant-bred Masvingo, also from Silverdale’s draft, for $580,000.
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Masvingo took bragging rights at Sydney’s first official two-year-old trials at Kensington on September 22, winning impressively by 1.4 lengths while Paradoxium managed a 2.4-length second in his heat behind I’m Ya Huckleberry (Home Affairs).
The filly also narrowly trumped the colt in their racing debuts, with Masvingo’s Gimcrack third outshining Paradoxium’s fourth in the Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m).
At Wyong, however, it was a no-contest in the colt’s favour. Having had two more trials for two more wins, Paradoxium - with regular rider Jason Collett aboard - raced on the pace and booted clear in the straight to score by 2.8 lengths.
Masvingo was bustled up to hold a midfield position in the seven-horse contest - whereas she’d settled back and flown home in the Gimcrack - and ultimately did well to hold third.
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Baker is tipping improvement from the filly off that run, but there’s no denying what appears to be a ton of raw ability in Paradoxium.
The colt is currently favourite for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at $3.50. Second favourite at $4.50 is yet another runner from the Baker-Ridgmont axis - Saturday’s impressive Randwick 1000-metre winner Warwoven (Sword Of State), while Masvingo is at $15.
And fresh off his best two-year-old season to date in 2024-25 through horses including triple stakes winner Within The Law (Lucky Vega) and Gold Coast 2YO Classic queen O’ Ole (Ole Kirk), Baker has high hopes his latest crop can shine as well.
“I think Paradoxium is very promising,” Baker told ANZ News. “He’s got a great attitude, and his work has been very good. What we’ve seen at home suggests he’s right up there.
“I guess on Saturday we’ll learn a bit more, and then it’s onto the Magic Millions, but at this stage I’m very happy with him.
“His win at Wyong was very, very good. I’m still confident he’ll probably improve off that as well, and up to the 1200 metres, I think it’ll be very exciting.
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“I never get carried away with a first-up win like that, but he’s got a good base of fitness, and it will be a nice period of time between runs at 17 days.
“It’s hard to know what else is going to be in the race. It’ll be a competitive race, no doubt about it, but I’m looking forward to it.”
The 13 nominations for the McLachlan also include Ciaron Maher’s colt Tornado Valley (Too Darn Hot), who won Flemington’s Maribyrnong Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) on Melbourne Cup day at his second and latest start.
There’s also Team Munce’s colt Zip Lock (Hellbent), who won over 1200 metres at Doomben on November 15 by 1.6 lengths at his only start, and Liam Birchley’s filly Remembrall (Spirit Of Boom), who also scored at Doomben on debut, over 1050 metres on October 25.
Baker was highly impressed with the yearling Paradoxium, the son of Newgate Farm’s sub-fertile sensation Extreme Choice (Not A Single Doubt) who’s the first foal out of Listed-placed Queensland mare Paredo (Better Than Ready).
“He was a lovely horse with a good attitude,” Baker said.
“He was an Extreme Choice, and you can’t fault what he’s done - he’s one of the best stallions in the country without a doubt. Plus this horse has a good pedigree, with a lot of depth there, and Silverdale produces good horses.
“He’s come along really well. His win at Wyong was very, very good.
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“Jason Collett knew what he was on. He’d ridden him in all his trials and races and trackwork leading in, so he was very confident. The horse had to absorb pressure early and won easily, so the win definitely had a lot of merit.”
In contrast, Masvingo was perhaps asked to do more than she’d wanted in being pushed up through the first half of the race. Baker is hopeful that the lessons learnt will help her cause at Randwick on Saturday.
“She was good at Wyong,” he said. “We probably just rode her out of her comfort zone. Paradoxium went quick early and we tried to make use of our good gate with Masvingo, so she probably didn’t finish off as well as she can.
“So I think she’ll improve off that run. We don’t have to be negative on Saturday, but we’ll maybe put her in her comfort zone a bit more.”
Masvingo is the second foal out of Rotator (Not A Single Doubt), who won three times, including at city level, and ran second at two in the Widden Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m). Rotator is also a half-sister to Positive Peace (Stratum), who Baker trained for nine wins including Rosehill’s Emancipation Stakes (Gr 2, 1500m) and Rosehill’s Nivison (Gr 3, 1200m), both in 2020.
“She was a nice filly by a proven sire in Zoustar,” Baker said. “And Rotator was a good, early-going filly, and the fact she was from the same family as Positive Peace made appeal for me. And again she was from a good place in Silverdale Farm.
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“Looking at her as a yearling you thought she’d definitely be a chance to get back up to the Gold Coast for the big two-year-old race, so fingers crossed that will happen.”
With Paradoxium, Warwoven and Masvingo showing out early for the Baker-Ridgmont alliance in what could be a three-pronged assault on the MM Gold Coast 2YO Classic, Baker is allowing himself to hope 2025-26 could be another huge year in terms of his two-year-olds.
“Last season was a great year. We won more prize-money with two-year-olds than anyone else, predominantly through O’Ole and Within The Law,” Baker said.
“And this season has also been very good so far with the two-year-olds. It’s great to be associated with Ridgmont. Jim Clarke is the common denominator there, since he buys my horses and he buys for Ridgmont too. We’ve had a lot of luck together, so long may that continue.”
The flagbearer for that union - Stefi Magnetica - is back in work, Baker said. She may defend her Doncaster Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) crown, though there is thought also to stretching her in distance for a tilt at Randwick’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
O’ Ole, who ran fourth second-up in MM’s Wyong 3YO & 4YO Stakes (1200m) on December 10, will barrier trial at Rosehill on Tuesday as she builds towards the $3 million Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m).
Within The Law, whose spring was highlighted by second place in Randwick’s Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), is still spelling and will target a return in the late autumn, likely with an eye to the Brisbane winter carnival.
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