Baker’s best ready to rise
TRAINER Bjorn Baker is preparing to produce two of the best-bred horses in Australian racing this week as his stable edges closer to a century of wins this season.
Baker has trained 97 winners in 2017-18 and has three chances at Gosford today – Bel’s Boy, Smartypy and Horn.
But at Canterbury Park tomorrow, Baker is saddling up first-starter Nordics, the highprofile juvenile colt by Triple Crown winner Dundeel out of former champion filly Miss Finland, herself a five-time Group 1 winner including the 2006 Golden Slipper and Victoria Oaks.
Baker is also likely to accept for the Hawkesbury provincials on Thursday with The Greatest, the well-named four-year-old gelding by Winx’s sire, Street Cry, out of the three-time Group 1 winner Samantha Miss, also a Victoria Oaks (2008) winner. Nordics, a $900,000 Easter Yearling Sale purchase, has drawn barrier 11 for his longawaited race debut. He has impressed in two barrier trials, including a Randwick 910m heat win last week.
“I do like the horse and I know he is going to get better in time,’’ Baker said.
The Greatest, bred and owned by John Singleton, is a rising five-year-old with only two previous race starts, winning at Nowra before a second at Goulburn last summer.
Baker could pass the 100win barrier for the third successive season as early as today’s Gosford meeting.