Having delivered an early milestone for Godolphin’s revamped operation, Bjorn Baker is hoping to keep the momentum rolling into the summer.
Baker provided Godolphin with its first Group winner under a public training model when Pericles took out the Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick in September.
The gelding went on to place in the Epsom Handicap (1600m) before just missing in a head-bobbing finish when runner-up to Ceolwulf in the Group 1 Champions Stakes (1600m) at Flemington during Cup week.
Three-year-old Loving will make his debut for the Warwick Farm horseman in Sunday’s Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1200m) and while he might not reach the heights of his well-performed Godolphin-owned stablemate, he has shown promise in lesser grade.
Winning back-to-back races at Geelong and Newcastle on rain-affected tracks during the winter, he steps up to weekend metropolitan company off the back of two recent trials.
He didn’t wear blinkers in either but will have them back on for race day, and Baker’s racing manager Luke Hilton hopes that proves significant.
“He will have blinkers on this weekend, which he hasn’t had in his trials, and he has had them on in all his starts. Hopefully that might give us a little bit more with him,” Hilton said.
“His trials have been good. He’s a little bit hard to assess because he is coming out of two-year-old races and now into Sydney Saturday grade.
“He’s got to take that step up from provincial racing, but he’s been good at home, and it seems the right race for him.”
Loving will be one of three runners for Baker at Rosehill, along with Viktor in the Vinnie @ Yarraman Park Handicap (1500m) and Dame Commander, who resumes in the Chandon Handicap (1300m).
The latter was Group placed in last year’s Spring Stakes (1600m) at Newcastle then didn’t stay when put on a Queensland Oaks campaign in the winter.
The stable has lowered its sights this summer in a bid to get her some wins on the board.
“We always thought she’d get to a staying trip and might have been an Oaks filly, but she just didn’t get all the way through,” Hilton said.
“We may keep her a bit shorter and sharper this time in and the mile may max her out.
“She generally needs a run or two. We have thrown her in the deep end most of the time, so we’d like to bring her back in grade a bit and let her win some races hopefully.”
