CD kids to clash in Caulfield Guineas
The Central Districts has been a great breeding ground for racing talent, both equine and human, and Saturday will showcase that when three of its finest sons – Bjorn Baker, Trent Busuttin and Chris Waller – are represented by the three favourites for the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in Melbourne.
Both Busuttin and Waller are products of Foxton, with Busuttin the son of Group One-winning trainer Paddy Busuttin, while Waller left school to work for Busuttin senior before taking over the barn when Busuttin moved to Singapore.
Baker grew up on the other side of the Tararua Range in Woodville, where his father, Hall of Fame inductee Murray Baker, initially trained before moving north to Cambridge several years later.
Of a similar age, Busuttin and Baker naturally formed a close friendship as children, attending trials and race meetings with their fathers. That friendship has continued to the present day, with the pair having trained alongside each other in Cambridge before heading across the Tasman to establish successful stables in Australia – Busuttin in Melbourne and Baker in Sydney.
The pair have remained close friends but will put that aside on Saturday when they meet in the Caulfield Guineas, with Baker to line up current $2.50 favourite Warwoven, while Busuttin and his partner Natalie Young will saddle up $3 second favourite Blind Raise.
“We grew up together following our fathers around the races and have been good mates since,” Busuttin said. “When you have got the first and second favourite in a A$3 million race in Australia, you think back to growing up together. It shows neither of us could do anything else, we had to go and work for our fathers and ended up doing this.
“We see a lot of each other and help each other out with the stabling. When we travel up to Sydney, we stay at Bjorn’s place and when he travels his horses down here, they stay with us. We will get a good look at Warwoven on Friday when he turns up.”
While their friendship is strong, so is their competitiveness.
“For saying all of that, I hope we smash his horse on Saturday,” Busuttin quipped. “He is not the only horse in the race, but he is a serious animal and deserved colt, but I think our horse can beat him.”
Busuttin’s representative, Blind Raise (NZ) (Ace High), hasn’t put a foot wrong so far in his preparation, winning both of his starts, including last month’s Gr.3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m).
Busuttin said the son of Ace High has continued to go in the right direction, and he was pleased with his work at Caulfield on Tuesday morning, and a few hours later was rapt to draw barrier two for Saturday’s feature.
“He worked up nicely this morning and barrier two is the perfect gate. He will be very hard to beat,” Busuttin said.
“Everything has gone according to plan, touch wood. He has continued to improve and he will be close to his peak this Saturday. I don’t think we have actually had the horse at his peak. He has always had niggling little issues below the surface, which haven’t been dire, but he has never been spot on, so I think on Saturday we will see him at his absolute best.”
Warwoven (Sword Of State) has drawn barrier six and remained in Sydney for his final piece of serious work on Tuesday morning before heading south to Melbourne later this week.
The son of Sword Of State has been similarly impressive, winning his last two starts, including the Gr.1 Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill 10 days ago. He has pleased Baker with his progression and worked nicely left-handed on Tuesday morning.
“I have been very happy with him, he came through the Golden Rose really well and his work this morning left-handed was very good,” Baker said. “Racing left-handed is a little bit of a question mark but we couldn’t be happier with him, he seems really bright and well.”
While Warwoven has yet to be tested beyond 1400m, Baker has no concerns about stepping up to a mile, citing his dam, Needle And Thread’s, record over further ground.
“Warwoven’s mum was a good 2000m horse, and she won a Group Two in New Zealand over 2000m, so I am very confident that he will get a good mile,” he said.
Baker is looking forward to heading to Melbourne later this week and settling Warwoven into the familiar surroundings at Busuttin’s Cranbourne barn.
“Ironically, he (Warwoven) will head down to the stable of Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young on Thursday night,” Baker said. “We always stay there and I have had a fair bit of luck out of their stable.”
While Baker remains close friends with Busuttin, he also has a long association with the owners of Blind Raise and said there is plenty of Kiwi flavour in this year’s Caulfield Guineas.
“I have known a lot of the owners of Blind Raise for a long time as well,” Baker said. “It will be an interesting clash, that’s for sure, and both have pretty prominent Kiwi connections, with Warwoven being by Sword Of State, and I know Blind Raise was bought out of New Zealand and is by Ace High.”
While Warwoven and Blind Raise head the Guineas market, Baker said he also has plenty of respect for former Central Districts trainer Chris Waller and his quartet of representatives, including $7 third favourite Tron Bolt.
“There are three kids out of the Central Districts, with the third favourite with Waller,” Baker said. “It is one of those races that has worked out and you have always got to respect him, whatever he is in.”
There has also been another Kiwi addition to Baker’s Sydney barn, with last season’s Champion New Zealand Apprentice Jockey Amber Riddell joining him on loan, and he has been impressed with her riding ability.
“She is going well and I have been very impressed with her,” Baker said. “Hopefully we can ramp up the rides over the coming weeks. There will definitely be more of an opening as we head into summer, towards the back end of the carnival.”
While looking forward to tackling the Caulfield Guineas this weekend, Busuttin is excited about another Kiwi-bred in Cignetti (NZ) (Super Seth) this spring, with the three-year-old son of Super Seth on track for next month’s Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.
The Waikato Stud-bred gelding placed in the last Saturday’s Listed Super Impose Stakes (1800m), and Busuttin said he has plenty of ability.
“We will have another nice New Zealand-bred called Cignetti who will end up running in the Victoria Derby by the time Derby Day rolls around,” Busuttin said. “It is good to be competitive with New Zealand-bred horses.”
Both Cignetti and Blind Raise are New Zealand Bloodstock graduates, with Busuttin purchasing Cignetti out of Ohukia Lodge’s 2025 Ready to Run Sale draft for $220,000, while he went to $70,000 to buy Blind Raise out of The Oaks Stud’s 2025 Book 1 Yearling Sale draft.
Blind Raise is proving to be a bargain buy, having already earned A$440,000, and Busuttin said there is plenty of value to be had when purchasing out of New Zealand.
“You don’t have to pay the world for them in New Zealand at Karaka, they breed good horses at any price,” he said.
“I find they outrun their price tag, whereas here in Australia, when you go to the sales, it is bloody hard to buy a horse for under A$100,000 and get a result. It does happen, but if you look at the statistics, more horses in those lower price ranges come out of New Zealand.
“You can go to Karaka and generally find one horse that you like and not pay too much money for it, and he is one of those horses.” - Joshua Smith LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Ka Ying Rising on track after Randwick trial
New Zealand-bred sprinting sensation Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) pleased connections with his final serious hit-out ahead of the A$20 million Gr.1 The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 17.
The son of Shamexpress finished second in a 1000m trial at Randwick on Tuesday morning, edged out late by Gr.2 Missile Stakes (1200m) winner Ninja on a Soft 7 surface.
With regular rider Zac Purton aboard, Ka Ying Rising began cleanly and rolled forward to lead, travelling comfortably before Ninja moved alongside late.
The trial was completed in 59.46 seconds and trainer David Hayes was pleased with what he saw, particularly given the six-year-old's preference for firmer footing.
“He got into a nice rhythm and had a really good look around as he did last year,” Hayes said.
“I think the longer grass and the softer surface was not ideal.
“I was happier this year than last year.”
There was a familiar feel to the performance, with Ka Ying Rising also beaten in his final trial before last year's Everest.
On that occasion, he finished third before returning to Randwick less than two weeks later and producing a dominant performance in The Everest.
Ka Ying Rising will head into this year's edition riding a remarkable 21-race winning streak and is a dominant $1.30 favourite to successfully defend his crown.
Purton was similarly satisfied with Tuesday's hit-out and believes the softer conditions were responsible for Ka Ying Rising not showing his customary brilliance.
“He got through it OK and there was a bit more there, but he certainly appreciates it when it’s a hard deck,” Purton said.
“I think he’s just feeling the ground for where he’s at.
“I think he handled himself better in the trial this morning. He got around with a little bit more purpose. I liked when the other horse came to him and he wanted to fight.”
The prospect of rain in Sydney leading into The Everest will be closely watched, with Ka Ying Rising having had limited exposure to rain-affected tracks during his 24-start career.
The New Zealand-bred son of Windsor Park Stud stallion Shamexpress arrived in Australia as the world's highest-rated racehorse following another extraordinary performance in Hong Kong.
Ka Ying Rising clocked 1:06.11 for 1200m at his most recent start at Sha Tin, a performance which earned him an international rating of 135 and reinforced his standing as the world's premier sprinter.
Tuesday's trial completes another important step in his preparation, with Hayes confident his stable star is where he needs to be as he closes in on his Everest defence. - NZ Racing Desk
A points decision to the Freedman sprinter Ninja as he edges out Ka Ying Rising running 59.46 for the 1000m.
Gringotts on target for Big Dance three-peat
Trainer Ciaron Maher is unlikely to change a winning formula with Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto) going into the Listed A$1.5 million Alan Brown Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Gringotts has contested this race the last two years, finishing second both times when beaten by Here To Shock (2024) and Headley Grange (2025).
But Gringotts bounced out of those narrow losses to win successive Big Dances over the famous Randwick mile course on Melbourne Cup Day.
Gringotts, who finished two lengths behind champion mare Autumn Glow when fifth in the Seven Sunrise Stakes last start, is among 24 entries for the Alan Brown and is the $4.50 early favourite ahead of last year's winner Headley Grange at $6 with Lady Shenandoah.
Maher's Sydney stable manager Johann Gerard-Dubord said it was likely Gringotts would take his place in Saturday's Rosehill race.
"We have got two options for him – either run this week in the Alan Brown where he will have a bit of weight, or you could wait for the King Charles next week where he will have to face Autumn Glow again,'' Gerard-Dubord said.
"But his main target this preparation has been The Big Dance. Last year he ran in the Alan Brown heading towards the Big Dance and it just works well timing-wise.
"It's three weeks from his last start and then three weeks and three days into The Big Dance.
"At this stage the plan would be to run this week, but we will nominate, likely accept and if we felt the race didn't suit, whether it's track conditions or whether it's a barrier, we still have the option to go to King Charles next week.''
Maher's marvellous miler Gringotts is the $3 favourite in early TAB Fixed Odds betting to complete a three-peat in the $3milIon The Big Dance (1600m) at Royal Randwick on November 3. - NZ Racing Desk
NZ Racing Desk
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