Baker Forsman Quartet Arrive in Sydney

Media Release - Sunday March 20

An attack on the riches of the New South Wales autumn carnival by trainers Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman gathered momentum when stablemates The Chosen One, Regal Lion, White Noise and Marroni flew to Sydney on Saturday.

The well performed quartet will all be in action this coming weekend as they prepare to tackle Group One targets during the two-day The Championships carnival at Royal Randwick in April.

 The Chosen One will have the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) as the main target for his Australian autumn campaign Photo Credit: Race Images – Peter Rubery

Both promising stayer Marroni and established Group One performer The Chosen One are being set for the Gr.1 Sydney Cup (3200m) on April 9, with The Chosen One to have his lead up run in Saturday’s Gr.1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill while Marroni will tackle either the Gr.3 Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m) on the Rosehill card or the Listed Albury Gold Cup (2000m) a day earlier.

“We put four of them on the plane on Saturday and plan to run them all this coming weekend,” Baker said.

“Marroni and The Chosen One are both being set for the Sydney Cup, however Marroni may need to win to make it into the final field for that one.

“He was very unlucky at Ellerslie last time as he was badly interfered with during the running and was a bit stiff and sore afterwards.

“It has been pretty wet in Sydney lately and that type of track won’t worry him, but it is more a matter of ensuring he is hard fit for a race like the Sydney Cup.

“The Chosen One pulled up really well after running third in the Bonecrusher Stakes (Gr.1, 2000m) at Ellerslie and he has performed well in Sydney before.

“He will start in the Tancred Stakes and then go straight to the Sydney Cup.”

Advertisement

The Chosen One enjoys a good record in Sydney having won the Gr.3 Frank Packer Plate (2000m) as a three-year-old following an unlucky run for fourth in the Gr.1 AJC Derby (2400m) while he also finished second in the 2020 Sydney Cup before running sixth in the race last year.

Three-year-old duo Regal Lion and White Noise are set to contest the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick on April 2 after finishing third and seventh respectively in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) at their last start.

The pair will tackle the Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday, a race that Baker has won on five previous occasions with Our Palliser (1987), The Bill (1993), Harris Tweed (2009) along with Jon Snow (2017) and Quick Thinker (2020) when in partnership with Forsman.

“Both of our three-year-olds that we sent over have thrived since their New Zealand Derby runs, but they will need to run well this weekend to justify a start in the Derby,” Baker said.

“I don’t think a wet track will bother them too much and the tempo of the racing in Sydney will also suit them.

“Once we have seen how they go this Saturday we can confirm whether they go on to the Derby or look for another option.”

The master horseman, who hopes to make it to Sydney at some stage through the carnival, is in the final throes of his training career and is set to retire at the beginning of May, with Forsman to take the reins in a solo capacity.

Baker, also advised that Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) winner Lickety Split would attempt to complete a Group One double next month when she tackles the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni on April 2. – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Pedigree Watch – G1 European 2YO
Juveniles took centre stage overnight in the UK and Ireland with a pair of Group I races decided at Newmarket in the Middle Park Stakes (6f) for the colts and Cheveley Park Stakes (6f) for the fillies, while at The Curragh a field of 30 lined up in the Goffs Million, the richest 2YO race in Europe.
Golden Rose Colts – Sires of the Future
The $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose (1400m) this Saturday offers the winner far more than prizemoney and assuming it’s a colt he is given a golden ticket to a commercial stud career, so let’s take a look at this year’s contenders, who would you want on your stallion roster in 2026?
Sires With Winners - Friday September 26
Here is the full list of 60 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
€1.9million Sale-Topping Colt Wins G3 Somerville Stakes
The Group III Somerville Stakes (7f) was run at Newmarket overnight with the Godolphin blue carried by exciting Night of Thunder colt Distant Storm, who they purchased for a sale-topping €1.9million at the Arqana May Breeze Up Sale earlier this year.
Manhattan Rain Gold Rush in WA
Geisel Park won’t be the only WA breeder on board when the first locally-conceived 2yo crop of its Group 1 sire Manhattan Rain get mobile this season.
Sires With Winners - Saturday September 27
Here is the full list of 106 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Golden Rose Brings Second Season Shake Up
We are two months into a new racing season and the second season sires table was given a good shake up over the weekend with the $1million Group I Golden Rose and $300,000 Group II Stutt Stakes both producing a quinella for sires in this cohort.
My Wish on Track for G1 HK International Mile
The Mark Newnham trained Flying Artie gelding My Wish was crowned Most Improved Horse at the annual awards night in Hong Kong at the end of last season and has wasted no time confirming that potential with a dazzling first up win in the Group III Celebration Cup (1400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Bred to Win a Caulfield Guineas?
It’s been a good weekend for Yarraman Park's champion sire I Am Invincible with a G1 winner and a colt soon to roll the dice in a G1 of his own.
Inglis Ready2Race Purchase Headed to $3million Big Dance
Sales for two year-olds in training are looming on the horizon for all three auction houses and the $150,000 Dubbo Gold Cup (1600m) on Sunday has eligibility for the $3million Big Dance for the winner and it was progressive Exceedance 4YO Cristal Clear, who claimed the prize.