Resilient Arapaho on the Sydney Cup trail
THE stayer trainer Bjorn Baker describes as “Australia’s toughest horse” is on the Sydney Cup trail.
Arapaho is back in full training and is a key member of the Baker stable’s autumn carnival team.
“We will have Arapaho ready to barrier trial in a couple of weeks,’’ Baker said.
“I call him the ‘toughest horse’ because in the Melbourne Cup, when he got to the 800m mark it meant he has passed the 30km barrier for the total distance he had raced over last preparation.’’
Arapaho, who ran 11th in the Melbourne Cup, was having his 15th start for his campaign, contesting races over a total of 31,750m, winning three races most notably the Grafton Cup and Premiers Cup, and was placed in another six races that included the Newcastle Gold Cup, City Tattersalls Cup, Caloundra Cup and St Leger.
The brilliant Overpass, who defeated Anamoe in the Expressway Stakes about 12 months ago, has just returned to Baker’s stables after a winless spring campaign that was hampered by wet tracks.
But Overpass still demonstrated his talent to beat all but the world’s best sprinter Nature Strip in The Shorts and run a series of competitive races including his sixth in The Everest.
Baker revealed four-yearold Overpass has been gelded during his summer spell.
“Overpass has just come back in to the stables and we will have a think about his autumn program but we might consider going into the TJ Smith Stakes first-up,’’ he said.
“We also decided to have
Overpass gelded. We have to be realistic, even though he is well-performed he won’t get a big run at stud and we want a racehorse.’’
Shades Of Rose, winner of seven of her 10 starts including the Group 2 Sheraco Stakes, also contested The Everest last spring, finishing eighth to Giga Kick, and she has also just returned to training at Baker’s Warwick Farm stables.
“I’m thrilled with how she is going, she looks fantastic,’’ Baker said. “I haven’t locked in her autumn program yet but we might look at going to a race like The Galaxy first-up with her.’’