Another Christmas Cracker For The Bakers

Sunday, 05 December 2010 03:15

New Zealand father and son training partners Murray and Bjorn Baker are looking forward to Christmas.

Not because what might be under the Christmas tree but more about three large packages worth a great deal of money.

To be more precise they are three racehorses, including brilliant three-year-old filly We Can Say It Now who made her older rivals look second-rate in the Group One weight-for-age Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday.

We Can Say It Now heads to the spelling paddock for a freshener but will return to the Bakers' stable in Cambridge soon after Christmas Day to prepare for autumn racing in Australia.

Also entering the stable at about the same time will be two of their other heavyweight performers, Victoria Derby winner Lion Tamer and Harris Tweed who was second in the Caulfield Cup and fifth in the Melbourne Cup.

Bjorn Baker, who was on hand for the Captain Cook, was almost pinching himself in what he had to look forward to.

"In three or four weeks time we are going to have a pretty good team coming back into work," Baker said.

He said Lion Tamer would likely be aimed at the $A1.3 million AJC Australian Derby (2400m) in Sydney on April 9 in preference to the $2.2 million New Zealand Derby because of the richer lead-up racing in Australia.

On the agenda for Harris Tweed are the weight-for-age events of the $A1 million Australian Cup (2000m) in Melbourne on March 12 and the $A2.25 million BMW Stakes (2400m) in Sydney on April 2.

We Can Say It Now is also likely to head across the Tasman with one target being the Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington in Melbourne on March 5.

He said he was astounded at the way We Can Say It Now overcame barrier 15 in a field of 18 to be up in third position inside the first 200 metres.

"She seems to get there without having to do any work which was the amazing part of it," he said.

We Can Say It Now was the $2.80 favourite but Baker admitted he was on tenterhooks as the horse was having her second start within eight days.

"It was a little bit nerve-wracking going into the race. There was a lot at stake," he said.

"She was either going to look like a star or it would have been considered a bad move to back her up from Otaki if we had got beaten.

"She had run a career best at Otaki and you are always scared if they will run up to same level again."

The filly is owned and was bred by Paul and Lyndall Makin of Australia.

Paul Makin is best known as the head of the syndicate which owned Starcraft, the winner of five Group One races in four countries - including two in New Zealand.

Starcraft is the sire of We Can Say It Now and shuttles between Australia and England for stud duties.

The families of the 29 men lost in the West Coast mining disaster will benefit from We Can Say It Now's win after Makin pledged $25,000 to the Pike River Miners' Relief Fund.