Aptly named Goodfella has recovered well from his first test in elite company and is ready to give trainer Bjorn Baker back-to-back wins in the Listed Gold Edition Plate at Doomben.
The Warwick Farm trainer has had great success in Queensland with his best wins the 2014 Magic Millions Classic with Unencumbered and the 2016 Doomben 10,000 with Music Magnate.
He is also remembered in Queensland for the efforts of Winning Rupert who picked up a $500,000 bonus for winning the Brisbane summer triple crown, including the Gold Edition Plate, last season.
Goodfella is no Winning Rupert but Baker has always had a high opinion of him.
The colt has already had one trip to Queensland, running second in the Group Three B J McLachlan Stakes and fourth in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
He matured in the spring to win two races at Randwick including the Listed Brian Crowley Stakes.
Baker then decided to test him against the top three-year-olds in the Coolmore Stakes at Flemington where he was unplaced in the Group One race won by Merchant Navy.
Baker was in the Hunter Valley inspecting yearlings this week but his stable manager Jack Bruce said Goodfella had come through the Melbourne run in good order.
“He has done well and he is getting to be a seasoned traveller. We expect a good run in the Gold Edition,” Bruce said.
“He will then head to the Vo Rogue Plate and Magic Millions Guineas.”
