Baker’s delight at Flemington
The Chosen One rises to occasion despite having to carry a hefty 61.5kg
The disappointment of missing his annual spring trip to Melbourne faded in about 10 magic seconds for trainer Murray Baker yesterday.
That was how long it took for The Chosen One to go from fourth to bolting clear in his first run of the season at Flemington as he all but cemented his place in the Melbourne Cup by carrying 61.5kg to win the A$125,000 Winning Edge Presentations in Victoria.
In his first start since finishing second in the Sydney Cup in April, The Chosen One stunned trainers Baker and Andrew Forsman by
sprouting wings to bury his Australian rivals in the last 100m, jockey Michael Dee sitting up on the 5-year-old well before the line.
It was a rare watch from afar for Baker, who traditionally heads to Melbourne every spring and rarely returns home without a significant derby or cup win.
But like almost all New Zealand horse trainers, he is staying home this spring as most look after their big teams here, with Covid restrictions forcing them to get travel permits for staff who then underwent 14 days hotel quarantine so they could look after the horses.
“It is a bit unusual for both Andrew
and I not to be there but we are very lucky Aleisha Legg has been travelling horses for us for a long time and does such a great job,” said Baker from his home in Cambridge.
“We know how good this horse is but I’ll admit I was surprised he could win that fresh-up with 61.5kg.
“But he has always been a good horse. He has won more than $1 million now and is from a breed that keeps getting better.”
The Chosen One has been allotted 53.5kg for the A$8 million Melbourne Cup, a race he finished 17th in last season.
“That is the aim again but I actually think the Caulfield Cup [October 17] on the way through might even suit him better.”
The Chosen One wasn’t the only Kiwi success at Flemington yesterday, with Crosshaven, bred and still part-owned by Auckland’s Daniel Nahkle, winning a A$140,000 listed race like a 3-year-old with a big future.
● Two Illicit proved sheer class can overcome a dislike for heavy tracks with a quite brilliant win at Ellerslie yesterday.
Having her first start since finishing second in the Vodafone Derby in February, Two Illicit was aided by a perfect ride from Leith Innes to stamp her class and suggest she will be a player in the latter legs of the Hawke’s Bay Triple Crown.