‘She’s handling everything well and looks fantastic’

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Baker hoping Within The Law can continue the stable’s stellar juvenile start

Bjorn Baker hopes to build on his most promising season for two-year-olds yet when Within The Law (Lucky Vega) attempts to stay unbeaten in Saturday’s rich, fillies-dominated Inglis Nursery (RL, 1100m) at Randwick.

Illustrating the strength of Baker’s juvenile stocks this season, it would be two-from-two in two respects if Darby Racing’s Within The Law can prevail: two-from-two for the filly after her debut win in Flemington’s Inglis Banner (RL, 1000m); and for Baker in two-year-old features this week, following O’ Ole’s (Ole Kirk) win in the other auction house’s race, the Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m) on Wednesday.

Baker also has in his stable the smart Strada Varenna (Street Boss), who won a fillies’ heat at Kensington’s first official two-year-old trials in September before a morning temperature forced her out of the Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m), in which O’ Ole ran second. 

And the Warwick Farm trainer is also keen on another of his youngsters by Yulong’s promising sire Lucky Vega (Lope De Vega) in Sponars, who’s currently spelling.

Baker hasn’t so far been one of the first trainers springing to mind in terms of Sydney’s two-year-old powerhouses. The expat New Zealander has had just the two starters in the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) and went two-from-two for ninth placings, with Windjammer (Bernadini) in 2013 and Unencumbered (Testa Rossa) a year later.

Unencumbered at least won the rich Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) in 2014 – Baker’s stand-out two-year-old result to date.

He’s also had Twilight Royale (Testa Rossa) win the 2012 edition of today’s feature, the Inglis Nursery, before taking the Inglis Premier (1200m) at Mornington and the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m).

Winning Rupert (Written Tycoon) was two-from-two at two for the trainer, including Doomben’s Champagne Classic (Gr 2, 1200m), as was Ozzmosis (Zoustar) in taking his first pair of starts in May and June, before winning the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) for three-year-olds that spring.

But this season’s juvenile selection appears Baker’s strongest by a clear margin, and he’s both cautiously optimistic and delighted to be seeing such results as the yearling sales season approaches.

“It’s definitely the most promising batch of two-year-olds I’ve had, and you do need that coming up to the sales – it’s crucial,” Baker told ANZ Bloodstock News. “It probably backs what we’ve done at the sales. We’ve got some nice horses, so we’re on the right track.”

So had Baker made a concerted push to become one of Sydney’s most prominent two-year-old trainers this season?

“Oh, you’re always looking for it, but it’s a competitive market, and you’ve got to have the people behind you,” Baker said.

“But I’ve had a really good year, and I’d like to continue to build off this good [two-year-old] start for next season, and the yearling sales is where it starts really, so hopefully we can get some interest.”

A win on Saturday for Within The Law would also make it two-from-two for jockey Jason Collett in regard to Baker-trained juveniles this week, having also been aboard O’ Ole for the first time at Wyong on Wednesday. She was a $5.50 third elect, whereas Within The Law was a clear favourite on Friday in the 14-horse Inglis Nursery field, at $2.90. Baker is confident his prophecy for Collett can come true.

“I actually had dinner with Jason at the start of the week,” Baker said, “and I said, ‘You’ll ride two two-year-old winners for me this week’. I’m halfway right so far.”

In a field of nine fillies and five colts, the females held the top four spots in the market on Friday. After Within The Law came Kris Lees’s pair of Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) fillies in debutant Cantiamo ($6) and first-start winner Gobi Desert ($9), who was level with John O’Shea and Tom Charlton’s Artistic Venture (Trapeze Artist).

Within The Law missed Kensington’s official heats but ran a 0.59 length second in a Hawkesbury trial in late October behind North England (Farnan). That one-two was emphatically franked 12 days later when Within The Law stormed home impressively up the Flemington straight to win the Inglis Banner, two hours before North England won the Inglis Golden Gift (1100m) at Rosehill.

“Flemington was a great win,” Baker said. “The trial form worked out with the Golden Gift winner, but I didn’t go in confident. I thought it was a tough ask.”

Within The Law and O’ Ole are contrasting studies and not just because the former was bought for only $30,000 for Darby Racing at Inglis Classic while the latter cost Baker and Clarke Bloodstock $325,000 at Magic Millions Gold Coast.

“O’ Ole has shown more ability and more speed, but Within The Law is a filly who’s pretty casual. I guess time will tell, but I’m lucky to be in a position where I can compare them,” said Baker.

“Within The Law is very straightforward, very workmanlike. Since Flemington, I think she’s shown herself to be a raceday horse – she turns up and gives 100 per cent on raceday. Jason’s got that impression of her as well.

“She only does what she’s asked on the track, but Jason rode her in a gallop on Tuesday morning and she recovered instantly. She’s handling everything well and looks fantastic.”

The Yulong-bred Within The Law is the first foal of the placed mare Contract Signed (Dundeel), while her third dam was the outstanding So Gorgeous (Brief Truce), who took five stakes races including what’s now the Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), back when it was still the Ascot Vale Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), in 2000. Within The Law also hails from the regal family of her seventh dam, Denise’s Joy (Seventh Hussar).

“Darby Racing just keep finding good horses. I’ll let them find them, and I’ll train them. We’ve had a lot of luck together,” said Baker, who last month celebrated a second Winterbottom Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), to go with two Quokkas (1200m), for star Darby sprinter Overpass (Vancouver).

“I guess one thing we haven’t done too much of together is have a lot of two-year-old success, but hopefully this filly can buck that trend.”

Within The Law represents a strong start for Yulong’s Lucky Vega, who stood for $16,500 (inc GST) this year and shuttles on arrangement to the Irish National Stud. The six-year-old’s other winner from three runners is the New Zealand colt Vega For Luck.

“I’ve only got the two Lucky Vegas and they’re both looking good,” Baker said. “The other one is Sponars, who’s spelling, but he’s shown a lot too.

“I’ll be looking to get a few more Lucky Vegas at the yearling sales coming up. I’m a fan of his. I can only judge on what I’ve seen and it’s two very nice horses.”

Newcastle-based Lees is also confident of forward showings for his two fillies.

Cantiamo, a $220,000 buy from Sledmere Stud’s draft for Lees and Bahen Bloodstock as Lot 2 at Inglis Classic, debuts after winning the second of two barrier trials over 800 metres at Newcastle’s Beaumont track on December 4.

Yulong’s Gobi Desert topped Inglis Classic when bought from North’s draft for $600,000, and lived up to her ranking with a debut 0.49 length win in the prestigious race named after her trainer’s father, the Max Lees Classic (900m) at Newcastle’s metro Saturday meeting on November 16.

Cantiamo has barrier five for Kerrin McEvoy, while Gobi Desert must contend with the outside gate of 14 for Tim Clark

“I think they can both run very well,” Lees told ANZ, “although it’s hard to line the race up. There’s not a great deal of exposed race form, outside of Bjorn’s horse who was quite strong when she won down the straight.

“Other than that, it’s hard to line the trial form up. I don’t think anything has really jumped out and dominated in their trial.

“Gobi Desert has blown in the market since she drew the outside gate, as opposed to Newcastle where she had a soft draw, which can be a huge difference for two-year-olds.

“At least she has a run under her belt and the same jockey aboard in Tim Clark, who’s a very good rider who rides two-year-olds particularly well. I won’t be tying him down with too many instructions.”

“The filly certainly hasn’t gone backwards since the win. She wouldn’t be lining up otherwise, but she has gone the right way.”

Cantiamo had shaped as “bombproof” in her work and two trials so far according to Lees, who trained her placed dam Valencay (Rothesay) and that mare’s Listed-winning half-sister Lucida (Danehill).

“She’s a nice filly and she’s trialled up well. Obviously raceday’s a different sort of pressure, but she’s got good gatespeed and has a favourable gate on Saturday, which is certainly a huge advantage for a first starter,” said Lees, who was a little exposed in buying the filly.

“She was Lot 2, and you never know how a sale is going to transpire, but I thought $220,000 was around the money,” he said. “I knew a bit about her family, and I think Too Darn Hot is a really good stallion.

“The good thing is, she’s got a good temperament, and she’s suited to two-year-old racing from what I’ve seen of her.”

Meanwhile, in a delicious twist of the Inglis Pink Bonus system, for horses at least 75 per cent female-owned, the three longest-priced entrants in the field will be in a run-off to scoop $200,000.

The windfall will go to whoever is first home between Gary Portelli’s second-starter Sunrise Ridge (Star Turn), who was $81 on Friday, Fabio Martino’s Gail Jeanette (Capitalist) at $151, and Neil Osborne’s Falcon Gold (Unite And Conquer) at $201.