It’s been more than 12 months in the making but trainer Bjorn Baker concedes he is nothing more than hopeful Twilight Royale can secure one of the richest bonuses in Australian racing.
Few horses given only an outsider’s chance will carry as much interest as Twilight Royale does into the $400,000 Inglis 3YO Guineas at Scone on Saturday.
She is out of form at the wrong time of her career as she chases a $2.6 million pay day for Baker and the syndicate of owners who paid $45,000 for the three-year-old when she was a yearling.
A claim on a piece of racing history became a reality with her win in the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes in March 2013, in what has turned out to be the latest of her three victories.
And after an autumn campaign began with optimism and anticipation, a sense of reality will accompany Twilight Royale into the richest race of the two-day Scone Cup carnival.
“It’s fair to say that she has to lift a bit,” Baker said.
“We’ve put blinkers on and really we’re just trying to get just as much encouragement from anything we can.”
Baker said heavy tracks and the price paid for her Group Two Sires’ win might have counted against Twilight Royale in two indifferent runs leading into Scone.
“I think the wet tracks probably haven’t helped her,” he said.
“And she has been racing in set weights and penalties races and as a Group Two winner she has been carrying three kilos extra so we’re hopeful back at set weights.”
In contrast, it’s been a trouble-free lead-up for the favourite Chautauqua as the three-year-old tries to ice the best autumn carnival enjoyed by Hawkes Racing.
The two-state family training partnership celebrated its most important win when Mossfun won the Golden Slipper.
Chautauqua won the Hawkesbury Guineas in the same manner to earn favouritism for the Scone race that is restricted to horses offered at selected yearling sales.
Bookmakers have shortened Chautauqua from $3.50 to $2.80 since the barrier draw and it’s move trainer Michael Hawkes says is justified.
“He’s done everything right, he’s gone forward and he looks good … he’s going to be right there,” he said.
