Twelve months ago Arapaho was getting beaten in Country Cups, now he is a Group 1 winner and Sydney Cup-bound following a tough Tancred Stakes performance.
Trainer Bjorn Baker has been amazed by the six-year-old’s journey, not only his rise through the grades but his resilience.
Arapaho’s last campaign started with a Muswellbrook Cup defeat in April 2022 and ended with a midfield effort in the Melbourne Cup in November.
He has come back better again this time around, following two solid runs in weight-for-age company with a Canberra Cup victory before adding Saturday’s $1.5 million Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill for good measure.
“Absolutely thrilled. He’s been a great horse,” Baker said.
“This time last year we couldn’t get a rider in a benchmark 78 race, he was really struggling.
“And what he did last time in terms of getting to the Melbourne Cup, he just kept improving, improving.
“He was fifteenth-up into the Melbourne Cup, so I think we keep him going and I’ll have him about sixteenth-up this time.”
Rachel King presented Arapaho at the right time in the straight, the gelding peeling off the back of the leaders and overhauling King Frankel ($14), who almost pinched the race after taking off before the home turn, then holding out the late charge of Montefilia ($4 fav) by a short neck.
King Frankel ($16) fought on doggedly for third, another three-quarters of a length away.
For King, the Tancred was a third Group 1 success and a welcome return to the big stage after a self-confessed quiet start to the autumn carnival.
“I probably haven’t had the best start to this carnival and I felt like I was treading water a little bit,” King said.
“To get a winner earlier (Bacchanalia in the Star Kingdom Stakes) and then come and win a Group One on him has made my carnival much better and hopefully it can keep going from here.
“I actually said on the way over here, whenever Arapaho is running it’s a good day because you just know he’s going to try his hardest. He certainly showed them what he can do today.”
Baker can see no reason not to head to the Sydney Cup (3200m) with Arapaho, who has 52.5kg in the staying feature and cannot be penalised for his Tancred win.
Vow And Declare (fourth), international Cleveland (fifth) and reigning Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip (seventh) also turned in nice Sydney Cup trials, while apprentice Dylan Gibbons on Montefilia said the mare did an outstanding job to regroup after an incident before the home turn.
“I hit a bad patch at the 600 metres and I thought she broke down for a couple of strides,” Gibbons said.
“She did a good job to regather herself and get that close.”
