The prospect of a rain-affected track has encouraged trainer Bjorn Baker to back up in-form galloper Thunderlips in the Listed Winter Stakes at Rosehill this Saturday.
Baker’s racing manager, Luke Hilton, confirmed the four-year-old had pulled up well after his win at Rosehill last weekend and will now line up again, this time alongside stablemate Robusto.
“He has handled backing up before but it’s more so because of the rain affected track we’re going to get,” Hilton said.
“He loves the wet tracks. He went great on a dry track last week and back on a wet track is going to be an advantage to him.”
Thunderlips was once considered promising enough to contest multiple Group races in Brisbane as a two-year-old, and while those efforts didn’t pan out, he’s now beginning to deliver on that early potential. He has won three of his past four starts, two of those over the same 1400m trip as Saturday’s Winter Stakes.
Robusto returns to Sydney after finishing at the tail of the field in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm. He drew wide and was forced to work early, which compromised his performance.
“It was a Group One assignment so it was hard to do first-up,” Hilton said.
“I would have rathered him on a better surface but he will definitely go around from a good gate on Saturday.
“Leading into the Stradbroke, we were really pleased with him . . . He was a long way into his prep when he won the Ingham (1600m). We got him during that preparation and I think he does take a fair bit of racing so he might need another run or two.”
The Winter Stakes (1400m) has attracted a full field of 13 runners, with Thunderlips opening as the $4.80 favourite. Last-start winner Accredited is at $5, while Robusto is priced at $6.
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