Bjorn Baker hopes to make the most of Robusto’s fitness by taking on some of the early season stakes races after The Ingham winner lumped a record weight to victory in the Listed Winter Challenge at Rosehill.
The gelding prevailed in a two-horse war with leader and eventual runner-up Accredited, the pair settling down to fight out the 1500m feature with Robusto getting the verdict in a head-bobbing finish.
It was a brave effort considering he conceded five kilos to Accredited and the fact his 60kg top weight was the biggest impost carried to victory in the race’s 13 renewals.
“I’m glad because he just fell in and I tipped him to the world,” Baker said.
“He won the Ingham and it’s good to see him back today with a big weight so we can try and head into the spring with a bit of fitness on our side.
“I’ll have a bit of a think. We might even go to the Missile Stakes, back to 1200, and possibly look at a race like the Winx if he went well there.
“But he’s up and going and he’s fit and well.”
The first Group 1 race of the 2025-26 Sydney season, the Winx Stakes (1400m) is set to attract a stellar field with the likes of Via Sistina, Fangirl, Ceolwulf and Private Eye all slated to resume in the feature.
Robusto was bought as a tried horse by syndicators Darby Racing, who have had great success with the Baker stable.
The trainer confirmed he would be inheriting two more of their recent purchases, including former Godolphin gelding Snack Bar who they secured for $155,000 at a dispersal sale this week.
Joe Pride was rapt with the effort of Accredited despite the result and said it highlighted the fact he was a significantly better horse on dry ground.
“There is a 1500 metre open (handicap) back here in a couple of weeks so we’ll probably come back for that, but I’ll have a think about it,” Pride said.
Earlier, Romeo’s Choice ($11) made a successful transition to Saturday grade to win the Schweppes Sprint (1100m), denying the Pride-trained Storm The Ramparts ($4 betting fav) by a short half-head with Corniche ($6) motoring to the line out wide, another neck away.
Trainer Richard Litt will also look at the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 9 as an option, along with targets interstate.
“It was the only race if he won today, but I don’t know,” Litt said of the Missile.
“There might be a Listed race in Brisbane in a month. That might be where he is best placed.
“But it (Missile Stakes) is good prizemoney and he likes a hot tempo.”
Romeo’s Choice gave Tom Sherry the middle leg of a treble after he took out the Private Life @ Coolmore Handicap (1200m) aboard Yoshinobu for Annabel and Rob Archibald and the final event on the Peter Snowden-trained King Of Roseau.
