Bjorn Baker is looking to leverage Robusto’s current fitness by targeting early spring stakes races, following a gritty win in the Listed Winter Challenge at Rosehill on Saturday.
The seasoned gelding, who captured last year’s The Ingham, engaged in a thrilling duel with Accredited and narrowly prevailed in a head-bobbing finish. Despite giving away five kilograms to his rival, Robusto carried a race-record 60kg to victory, marking the highest weight ever carried to success in the Winter Challenge’s 13-year history.
“I’m relieved because he just held on—and I tipped him to everyone,” Baker said. “It’s great to see him return with such a determined effort carrying that big weight. He’s fit, he’s firing, and now we can use that base going into the spring.”
Baker indicated that Robusto may drop back in trip for the Missile Stakes (1200m) and, if that goes well, could be considered for the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m), the first top-level contest of the Sydney season. That race is shaping as a marquee event, potentially featuring stars such as Via Sistina, Fangirl, Ceolwulf, and Private Eye.
Robusto was sourced by syndicators Darby Racing as a tried horse and has thrived under Baker’s care. The partnership is set to continue, with Baker confirming the stable will welcome two more Darby purchases, including the recently acquired former Godolphin runner Snack Bar, bought for $155,000 at a dispersal auction.
Meanwhile, Joe Pride was proud of Accredited’s effort, noting that the gelding was much more effective on firm tracks. “There’s an open handicap over 1500 metres here in a couple of weeks—most likely we’ll return for that,” he said.
Earlier in the program, Richard Litt-trained Romeo’s Choice ($11) made a successful step into Saturday company by winning the Schweppes Sprint (1100m), edging out stablemate Storm The Ramparts ($4 favourite) by a short half-head, with Corniche ($6) flashing late for third.
Litt said the Group 2 Missile Stakes on August 9 at Randwick could be on the cards for Romeo’s Choice, although he’s also weighing up a Listed option in Brisbane. “If he won today, the Missile Stakes was the race we had in mind,” Litt said. “But there’s good prizemoney in Queensland too and that might suit him better depending on how things fall.”
Romeo’s Choice gave jockey Tom Sherry the middle leg of a treble, with earlier wins aboard Yoshinobu for Annabel and Rob Archibald in the Private Life @ Coolmore Handicap (1200m), and later success on King Of Roseau for Peter Snowden.
Robusto and Romeo’s Choice both attracted strong attention from betting sites as punters looked for form horses with upside heading into the new season.
