Bjorn Baker is optimistic Renaissance Woman can continue the handy record of fillies in the Spring Champion Stakes after being crunched from $21 into $7 with bookies.
Renaissance Woman won the Ethereal Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday – and Baker knows his three-year-old is more than up to taking on the boys on the quick back-up at Randwick.
Bjorn Baker and Rachel King will team up with Renaissance Woman in the Spring Champion Stakes.Credit:Getty Images
“She’s come back in good order and we’ll probably go there and then into the Oaks, depending on how she runs,” Baker said.
“One of the options was to go to the Wakeful Stakes, which only gave us a five-day turnaround to the Oaks. [By running Saturday] we’ve got close to two weeks before the Oaks.
“She’s got a great pedigree, so winning the group 3 race was very important, but even if she was to place in the Spring Champion, it takes a lot of pressure off her going into the Oaks.
“She didn’t have a tough run on Saturday, she didn’t do a lot of work early, but she was very good late. I thought she was really good through the line. She’s a filly that has always said to me she’ll only be better the further she goes, and I think that is the case. A demanding 2000m will work for her this weekend.”
Yankee Rose was the first filly to win the Spring Champion Stakes in 2016, before Maid Of Heaven won in 2018 and Montefilia in 2020.
Renaissance Woman is the $3.60 favourite for the Oaks ahead of Foxy Cleopatra, the filly who finished second to her at Caulfield and counts rugby league legend Laurie Daley and Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen among her owners.
Anthony Cummings’ She’s Extreme is the only other filly entered for the Randwick three-year-old major on Saturday. Fillies get the two-kilo advantage against the colts and geldings.
Keeping with the female theme, Rachel King will steer Renaissance Woman, but just who rides the Baker youngster in the Oaks remains undecided.
Baker said the only time he opted for the seven-day back-up with Renaissance Woman, she ran an impressive fourth at Rosehill in the winter.
“She’s come back from Melbourne seems bright, ate up Monday night, worked around Tuesday morning and we’re pretty happy with her; she’s a genuine stayer,” Baker said.
“Even in the Flight Stakes [two starts back] she was very good through the line, she was only just beaten by Madame Pommery [the subsequent Thousand Guineas winner] and was only warming up late. The mile to the 2000m is a different ball game again.”
Meanwhile, Baker said his The Everest runner Shades Of Rose and was off to the paddock with The Galaxy her main aim in the autumn, while a decision would be made in the next 24 hours about whether to send Overpass to the Nature Strip Stakes (1300m) or Golden Eagle (1500m), two races to be run at Rosehill on Saturday week.
