Renaissance Woman out to continue spring form

The lure of a Group One race in his adopted hometown has been enough to convince Bjorn Baker to back-up Renaissance Woman in the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Saturday.

The Reliable Man filly arrived back in Sydney earlier this week after landing a brilliant victory at Caulfield on Saturday, coming from last on the corner and pulling away from her rivals late to capture the Gr.3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m). 

The victory rocketed her into Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m) favouritism and while the fillies' classic is on Baker's radar, he said the opportunity to take on the males for a $2 million purse and a valuable Group One win is arguably even more enticing. 

"It was either this or the Wakeful (Gr.2, 2000m), but it's a big race on our back doorstep," Baker said. 

"In a roundabout way, the Spring Champion is bigger than the Oaks, so we will look at this Saturday first before making any decisions. 

"But she has travelled back great, she looks to have worked fantastic and I couldn't be happier." 

The Spring Champion represents a more significant challenge for Renaissance Woman, who was midfield in the Gr.2 Tea Rose (1400m) and Gr.1 Flight Stakes (1600m) before her Victorian raid, but Baker feels she is only coming into her own now she is being extended to longer trips. 

"That's the key for her, out in distance," Baker said. 

"It's a big race and you can never be too confident, but she is in good form and she stays, that's a big tick." 

Renaissance Woman has barrier nine in the field of 12 with Rachel King to ride.

Renaissance Woman was offered by Westbury Stud at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and was knocked down at Karaka for $250,000 with the ticket signed by Brian Nutt’s Attunga Stud and she is raced by his brother-in-law Geoff Walsh.

The filly is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Mrs Kennedy, who is a half-sister to the Gr.1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) winner Mrs Onassis and the Gr.3 How Now Stakes (1200m) winner Miss Judgment, dam of multiple Group One placegetter Missrock.

Skew Wiff breaks maiden ranks at Tauranga

Skew Wiff rewarded her backers at Tauranga on Wednesday when comfortably taking out the Ultimate Mazda Maiden 3YO (1200m) by 2-1/2 lengths.

The Savabeel filly won both of her trials in the lead-up to her first-up run where she was backed into $2.10 favouritism and won accordingly in the hands of New Zealand Champion Jockey Opie Bosson.

“She’s a lovely Waikato Stud filly and it was a good win,” trainer Mark Walker said.

“We’ve been patient with her, the barrier manners have improved and she’s got a really bright future that seems capable of gaining black type.”

Skew Wiff is the first foal from impressive stakes-winning sprinter Starvoia and while she was set to go through the sales ring, following x-rays the decision was made for Waikato Stud to retain her as a racing prospect.

“She had a couple of X-ray issues, although nothing that was going to hold her back, so we withdrew her from the yearling sales and she was certainly one that David (Ellis) had shown interest in early on while she was still in the yearling prep,” Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick said.

“So it made sense that she went to Te Akau, but she’s been a handful, doing silly things out of the gates and not settling, and credit to Mark (Walker) and Opie (Bosson) and their expertise in ironing out the issues.

“Opie said after her last trial win that we just need to get on with her now and that shows his experience in situations like this. And, because of that, we saw a better filly today.

“There were a few people that questioned me as to whether we carried on with her, but we’ve always known she had ability and now she’s heading in the right direction.

“We bought the mare Starvoia after she finished racing, but I’d always known the family as we had the fourth dam, Meant For Me, here on the farm for Scotty Williams.

“You give them a bit of time and the old families come back.”

Hakim Kamaruddin to boost New Zealand riding ranks

Singapore Champion Jockey Hakim Kamaruddin is set to bolster the riding ranks in New Zealand.

Indentured to Te Akau trainer Mark Walker in Singapore, Kamaruddin (24) joined Walker with honours last year when winning both Champion Apprentice and Champion Jockey titles.

Capturing both awards exemplified the ability of Kamaruddin, in just his second season riding, a feat not achieved since 1995 when Benny Woodworth won both titles as an apprentice in Singapore.

During a four-month break earlier this year, Kamaruddin returned home to Kelantan, Malaysia, where he spent most of his time flying kites.

Walker has always held Kamaruddin in high regard and the nine-time Champion Trainer (five NZ, four Singapore) welcomes the addition to his team.

“It was a remarkable achievement to win both titles in his first full season of riding and just shows how much natural talent he has as a rider,” Walker said.

“He should have no trouble adapting to New Zealand conditions and he’s going to be a permanent fixture here so he’ll keep improving.

“He’s arriving in the next week and we’ll kick him off at the trials before he gets out there on race days, but it’s exciting to have a jockey of his ability coming to New Zealand and we’re all looking forward to seeing how he goes.”

Since Walker returned to New Zealand to start training again on 1 April, Kamaruddin has been apprenticed to Te Akau’s Singapore trainer Donna Logan who leads the premiership with 54 wins this year.

Forsman adds to Melbourne arsenal

Last start Group One winner Mustang Valley is set to fly to Melbourne next week as she adds further arsenal to the Australian raiding party of the in-form Andrew Forman stable.

The four-year-old daughter of Vanbrugh was a runaway winner of the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Hastings last weekend.

The ease of the more than five length victory and the manner in which the mare has come through the run prompted connections to commit to a brief Melbourne raid.

Forsman confirmed the two likely races in consideration are the Gr.1 Champions Stakes (2000m) and the Gr.2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m), both run at Flemington on November 5.

Mustang Valley will travel to Australia mid next week and there is also the option of the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on October 29, but at this stage the mare is more likely to be seen a week later.

Forsman had a treble at Caulfield last weekend with Mr Maestro, Aegon and Saint Bathans, while She’s Licketysplit has also enjoyed a fruitful campaign in Melbourne.

Stakes winning gelding White Noise has also crossed the Tasman for Forsman and the four-year-old holds a nomination for Sunday’s A$200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).