Bjorn Baker has built an impressive strike rate on his new home track and has three live chances to improve on it at Warwick Farm on Saturday.
Since moving from New Zealand in 2011 to set up his own training base at Warwick Farm, Baker has won five races at the track from 12 runners in the past year.
His representation on Saturday begins with in-form galloper Cantonese, an odds-on favourite in the Masterfoods Handicap (2200m).
Cantonese was scratched from a race at Hawkesbury on Thursday to be saved for the bigger prizemoney race.
“I was in two minds because the horse does race well at Hawkesbury, but at the end of the day this race is on his home track and we just have to walk him to the races,” Baker said.
“He’s in great order and I couldn’t be happier with him.
“It looks like a winnable race for him.”
Baker says he’ll be on a learning curve with two-year-old Chazz who lines up in the Fonterra Foodservice Handicap (1000m).
The colt by Choisir was passed in at the Magic Millions sale this year but has impressed Baker in the lead-up to his debut.
“I’m hoping he can run really well,” Baker said.
“It’s a bit new for me and a bit of a learning curve as I haven’t had many two-year-old runners in Sydney, especially early runners, but he’s shown me enough to go in with a little bit of confidence that he’s going to be competitive.
“He’s come on well since his barrier trial, he’s drawn well, and he’s had a couple of looks at the track in work so I’m hoping that’s an advantage.”
Last-start midweek Warwick Farm winner A Real Prince rounds out Baker’s team for the meeting in The Castaway Handicap (1400m).
“He’s a little bit hard to catch but he won well last start and I think he’s well-placed. So fingers crossed,” the trainer said.
