A 1200m open trial before racing commences at Te Rapa this Wednesday will play a pivotal role in the next steps for two of the top performers from the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman stable.

Former Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner Aegon and Group One-performed stayer The Chosen One will both line up in the event, with Baker keen to assess their runs before deciding on their next assignments.

Aegon is coming into the trial off the back of unlucky runs in both the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes (1600m) and the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m), where he failed to see daylight in the home straight on each occasion.

“Aegon just hasn’t had any luck in his last two starts,” Baker said.

“He was blocked for a run at Te Rapa in the Captain Cook when he was finishing on well and then the same thing happened at Ellerslie in the Zabeel Classic.

“He is very well and it will be good to get a line on him as we could possibly take him to Trentham for the Thorndon Mile (Gr.1, 1600m) in a fortnight.”

Another contender for a late nomination for the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile is The Chosen One who hasn’t raced since finishing fifth in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) back in November.

“The Chosen One has spelled very well and it will be good to see how forward he is with the trial run,” Baker said.

“We are thinking about the Thorndon first up as he has a tremendous record fresh having won first up over 1700m at Flemington two years ago, finished second in the Herbie Dyke (Gr.1, 2000m) fresh-up last autumn and finished an unlucky third in the Feehan Stakes (Gr.2, 1600m) first-up at Moonee Valley in his last campaign.

“His main aim is the Sydney Cup (Gr.1, 3200m) in the autumn, but that is a little up in the air with the difficulties that offshore travel poses for us with the COVID pandemic.”

Baker also reported that Gr.1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby (2400m) contender White Noise had thrived since his win in the Listed Te Akau Gingernuts Salver (2000m) at Ellerslie last Sunday, while fellow three-year-old Meritable is ready to return to the stable after a spell following his gritty runner-up finish to Noverre in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas back in November. 

“White Noise has come through his Ellerslie run well and is on target for the Derby,” he said.

“We have to decide where he goes next with either the Waikato Guineas (Gr.3, 2000m) on February 2 or the Avondale Guineas (Gr.2, 2100m) on February 19, the main options.

“With the way those races are spaced now he could even run in both, but that decision has still to be made.

“Meritable has been out spelling since his Riccarton run, but he is due to come back to the stable shortly and at this stage we will be getting him ready for a Brisbane campaign later in the year.”

Baker also advised that former top galloper True Enough, who hasn’t raced for over a year due to injury, was back in work while Frontman, who was placed in last season’s New Zealand Derby and was a Listed winner at his most recent campaign, would be joining the Chris Waller stable in Sydney.

“True Enough is back and on a very slow build-up,” he said.

“He had an injury in his hind leg, but they could never put their finger on just what it was, so after a long break he is back in work.

“He will probably be ready to trial in three to four weeks and we will know a lot more about his future after that, as he is very lightly raced for an eight-year-old.

“Frontman has been gelded and is off to Chris Waller for the next stage of his career. He is Australian owned, so it makes sense for him to go over there now.”