Murray Baker was renowned for his training prowess with stayers and his son Bjorn is hoping to take a leaf out of his father’s book with Sydney Cup aspirant Arapaho.
The elder Baker, who retired three years ago, won a slew of major races, among them five Australian Derbies and the 1992 Sydney Cup with My Eagle Eye.
Baker is making a fine fist of the training caper himself and just last weekend captured the time-honoured Doncaster Mile with Stefi Magnetica.
He is keen to add to his haul on day two of The Championship at Randwick where he has six runners, including Stefi Magnetica who backs up in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m), and Arapaho in the Sydney Cup (3200m).
Baker says the most pertinent advice his father gave him when it came to conditioning stayers was the importance of fitness and attitude.
“They need to be fit as much as anything,” Baker said.
“So it was just to give them a good base and have them fit and they’ve got to be relaxed during the run too, which is key.”
Arapaho will tackle Saturday’s staying feature at the fifth run of a consistent campaign which has included a runner-up finish to Vauban in the Sky High Stakes (2000m) and a solid fourth behind Dubai Honour in the Tancred Stakes (2400m).
He has only been tested at the Cup journey twice, once in the 2022 Melbourne Cup when he was at the end of a long campaign and finished midfield and again in the 2023 Sydney Cup when he started one of the favourites and finished fourth.
Baker says the jury is out on whether Arapaho is a genuine two-miler but given the gelding is in some of the best form of his career, he is happy to have another throw at the stumps.
“Two miles is a bit of a question mark,” Baker said.
“But we’re happy with him. He ran really well in the Tancred so we’re hoping it works out.”
Stefi Magnetica will back up from her brilliant Doncaster win, a tactic that she has responded well to before.
In the spring she finished just over a length behind Mr Brightside in the Champions Mile (1600m) at Flemington a week after her Golden Eagle (1500m) fifth.
“We know she performs well on the back-up. She went to the Champions Mile after the Golden Eagle last year and was very good that day,” Baker said.
“She has got a good gate to help on Saturday as well, gate four, so she should be able to put herself right there and we couldn’t be happier with the way she has come through.”
He is also hopeful Within The Law can post a consolation win in the Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) after going through the running rail when she failed to complete the course in the Golden Slipper.
“She’s in great order, thankfully, and she trialled well last week,” Baker said.
“She has been running well, she’s been a great two-year-old filly for Darby (Racing) and on form alone, I think she’s a great chance.”
Baker also has the lightly raced Alabama Charm in the Percy Sykes, while Imperial Force (Arrowfield 3YO Sprint) and Queues Likely (Sapphire Stakes) round out his Sydney team.
