Not many horses, especially older geldings, go from winning a maiden to Group 1 success in one campaign, but that is what the Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin-trained Baraqiel will attempt to do at Flemington.
A maiden winner on debut at Sale in May, Baraqiel heads to the big league on Saturday to run in the Group 1 Champions Sprint (1200m) where he tackles the likes of Giga Kick, Overpass, Bella Nipotina, Sunshine In Paris, Estriella, Private Life and Bellatrix Trix.
“There’s no hiding from Saturday, that’s for sure,” Troy Corstens said.
Baraqiel enters Saturday’s race having scored an impressive 2-¾ win in the McEwen Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on October 26.
That was Baraqiel’s first try at Stakes company, and Corstens now wants to see Baraqiel perform down the straight where the gelding’s only two defeats in his eight-start career have come.
Corstens said Baraqiel had excuses on both occasions and hopes there will be none on Saturday.
“I’m very, very keen to see him down the straight again because both times he’s gone down there he’s had excuses for running third,” Corstens said.
“The first time he got galloped on really badly behind, and then the second time the track was slippery, and it just didn’t suit him at all.”
Corstens said circumstances had seen Baraqiel push from his maiden win to lining up for his ninth start on Saturday without having a proper break.
“To win a maiden and go all the way through and be running in one of the best sprint races in Australia is a pretty good feather in his cap,” Corstens said.
“If he showed me that he wanted a break at all, I would have tipped him out, but he has had a freshen up at the farm.
“He’s been outstanding and hasn’t shown any signs of wanting to go out.”
Corstens is confident Baraqiel will perform strongly on Saturday.
He said his work on Tuesday morning was excellent, just as it was before posting his impressive victory at Moonee Valley.
And Saturday’s performance will determine which direction Baraqiel takes.
“The question is how good a field this is and whether the straight is his go, but we’re going to find that out on Saturday,” Corstens said.
“He’s nominated in Perth for the Winterbottom and the Gold Rush, but if he shows that he’s not quite up to them on Saturday, we’ve always got the $1 million race at Cranbourne, The Meteorite, that we can have a look at, or he might go to the paddock.
“It really depends on how he goes on Saturday.”
