Bakers making more dough

Murray Baker, back in New Zealand after his triumphant campaign in Australia where his three horses netted $NZ2.3 million in prizemoney, is not resting on his laurels.

Baker, who trains in partnership with his son Bjorn, won the Group 1 Victoria Derby with Lion Tamer and his grand stayer Harris Tweed finished second behind Descarado in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup before finishing a game fifth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup.

Murray Baker believes his Australian-bred fillies We Can Say It Now and Twilight Savings will fight out Saturday’s Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.

Both fillies, with stablemate Simply Brilliant, who is out injured, will form the nucleus of a team the Bakers plan to campaign in Sydney in the autumn.

We Can Say It Now and Simply Brilliant are owned by Hong Kong-based Australian Paul Makin, and they are by Makin’s former champion galloper Starcraft, who recorded his second Group 1 success as a sire when Star Witness won the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m, Flemington) on Derby day. Star Witness won the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m, Caulfield) as a two-year-old.

Baker believes that We Can Say It Now is “something special”.

“I think she could be the best filly I have trained. Her win at Te Rapa (in the Listed Sarten Memorial, 1400m, on October 25) was outstanding. She ran brilliant sectional times and du Plessis (jockey Mark du Plessis) said he didn’t let her go,” Baker said.

The filly, from the eight-time winning mare We Can’t Say That (by Generous (IRE)), has drawn barrier 1; Twilight Savings is in barrier four.

The fillies were to clash in racing against the colts and geldings in last Saturday’s 2000 Guineas (Group 1, 1600m) at Riccarton, but Baker scratched We Can Say It Now because of the heavy track. Twilight Savings ran a slashing race to be beaten into fourth place behind Jimmy Choux, beaten a half-length.

Before that Twilight Savings thrashed a smart field of older horses at weight-for-age in the Listed Red Lion Plate (1200m) at Rotorua on October 16.

“She had a setback which meant she was first-up off a limited preparation at Rotorua, but she was outstanding to win after racing wide,” Baker said.

“I knew going into the 2000 Guineas, jumping from 1200m to 1600m, that she was a run short, and it cost her the race. She hit the front at the 200m, but her condition gave out. She is going to be a lot fitter and more suited to the mile this week.”

Twilight Savings is by Secret Savings (USA) from the Danehill mare Ghemashah. Like a lot of good horses these days, she has a double cross of the great Star Kingdom on her dam side through Bletchingly and Luskin Star.

Simply Brilliant, who pulled a muscle in a track gallop after being frightened by a large bird on the track, is by Starcraft from the Danehill mare She’s A Pretender, a sister to the Victoria Derby winner and Melbourne Cup runner up Nothin’ Leica Dane. This also the family of stars Leica Show and Leica Lover.

Star Witness and the Makin fillies, all from Starcraft’s first crop, are likely to launch Starcraft’s stud career to new heights, especially if We Can Say It Now can win the 1000 Guineas.

Starcraft (pictured) stands at Arrowfield Stud this season at a fee of $38,500 (inc. GST).