The transfer of the William Reid Stakes to Caulfield may not be ideal for Baraqiel but it is the race the Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin -trained sprinter has been set for.
The William Reid Stakes (1200m) is traditionally run at Moonee Valley and winds up the Group 1 action in Melbourne for the season.
But with Moonee Valley out of action until the 2027 Cox Plate due to reconstruction, Caulfield will host this year’s edition of the Group 1 sprint.
Baraqiel has an imposing record at Moonee Valley, winning the Group 1 Moir Stakes and running second in the Manikato Stakes last spring, although his one attempt at Caulfield did result in a victory over Saturday’s trip in June 2024.
The sprinter enters Saturday’s contest off a last start fourth to Tentyris in the Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington on February 14.
He was slated to run in the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) on March 7 but was withdrawn on race eve following a bad blood picture.
“He literally had a 24-hour virus,” co-trainer Troy Corstens said.
“He left a little bit of feed, which is very unlike him, so we knew straight away something wasn’t right.
“So, you check all extremities.
“Was there a bird in his feed? – No. Was there anything else wrong? No. Did he have water? Yes, but then his temperature was just on the edge.
“So, we took a blood, and it showed it wasn’t right. His markers were up a little bit which told us he wasn’t spot on.
“He was a tiny bit dull in the eye, which one of the staff picked up on straight away, and in the end, we couldn’t run him.
“We don’t take chances, especially going into a Group 1 like that, you need to be spot on.
“If they’re not, you can run them and then flatten them and then it’s preparation over.”
The Corstens and Larkin team have been in sparkling form in recent weeks with a double at Caulfield last Saturday which followed a treble at the track on February 21.
And luckily for the stable, the campaign of Baraqiel is far from over.
Baraqiel showed the team he was over the setback with victory in a jump-out at Flemington last Friday.
“He trialled last week and we were really pleased with it. He seems great,” Corstens said.
