Racing
Trial offers Winx Stakes warm-up for Cup winner
Arapaho will be among the carnival horses poised to step out at the Rosehill trials.
Bjorn Baker will take a couple of his anticipated spring stars to the Rosehill barrier trials on Friday, while several of his emerging gallopers will be given an opportunity to showcase their wares at the races a day later.
Sydney Cup winner Arapaho will be Baker's headline act when he steps out in a 1000m heat at the trial session ahead of his scheduled return in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) on Saturday week.
The gelding is on a Caulfield and Melbourne Cups path and while he is nine this season, Baker's racing manager Luke Hilton says Arapaho still has plenty of life in his legs.
"He doesn't look nine at home," Hilton said.
"He is European bred in terms of his age which helps.
"He looks great. He is very bright within himself and he's in really good order."
Smart filly Within The Law will line up in the same heat and is on track to kick off her spring in the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) on the Winx Stakes undercard.
On Saturday at Rosehill, Baker will have 11 runners across six races, including Perfumist who resumes in the Petaluma Handicap (1200m).
The mare boasts an almost 50 per cent wining strikerate and enjoyed a day out at the races two weeks ago to ease her back into her latest campaign.
"She is a little bit highly strung so we wanted to give her a race day experience without racing," Hilton said.
"We've had a lot of success with it and we do it a lot with our horses. We actually had Within The Law (at the Randwick Kensington meeting on Wednesday) and it seems to work.
"They come here and they have a good experience. They haven't been put under any pressure and when they come again, it's not unfamiliar territory."
Hilton is putting his faith in Puntin to rebound in the Precise Air Handicap (1400m) after he disappointed when unplaced as favourite last start over 1800m at Randwick.
While the gelding drops 400m in distance, Hilton believes Puntin will be better suited back to the shorter journey, although he'd like conditions to improve from Rosehill's heavy 9 rating on Thursday.
"He may not have handled the 1800 on a really heavy track," he said.
"I think he wants an improving track so hopefully there's no more rain."
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