Baker pulls right rein with War Eternal

[Wandering Eyes]

Expat New Zealand trainer Bjorn Baker was tossing up between a couple of different options for War Eternal (NZ) (Pierro) this weekend, but he pulled the right rein and was rewarded with victory in Saturday’s A$160,000 Kanebridge Handicap (1400m) at Randwick.

Baker had also entered War Eternal for Sunday’s A$80,000 South Grafton Cup (1610m) at Grafton, which had the added bonus of being a qualifying race for the A$3 million The Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick in November.

But the higher stake at Randwick proved to be the clincher, and War Eternal held up his end of the bargain with a highly impressive win.

Sent out as a $2.50 favourite for jockey Jason Collett, War Eternal dropped back to third-last in a race that was run at a solid tempo. Collett angled War Eternal to the outside at the top of the straight and warmed him into his work. The five-year-old lengthened stride and reeled in the leaders, hitting the front inside the final 100m and beating Tijuana (American Pharoah) by three-quarters of a length.

War Eternal’s 23-start career has produced four wins, six placings and A$608,350 in stakes. He showed real class as a three-year-old with a second in the Group Three Spring Stakes (1600m), third in the Group Two Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) and fourth in the Group One Randwick Guineas (1600m).

“It’s good to see him getting back into some of his better form,” stable representative Luke Hilton said. “He did run fourth behind Converge (Frankel) and Anamoe (Street Boss) in a Randwick Guineas. We’re delighted to see him back winning races. He had a long time off, so big thanks to the owners for being so patient, and it’s great to see him back in the winners’ circle on a Saturday.

“Choosing between this race and Grafton was a hard one, and we had a good think about it all week. That Big Dance eligibility was a big carrot at Grafton, but it was double the prize-money to come here today, and I think that’s what swayed Bjorn in the end. It was a good win, and I’m sure we’ll have some other opportunities to qualify him for The Big Dance later on.”

Bred by Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay War Eternal was purchased by Baker out their 2020 Karaka Book 1 draft for $160,000.

War Eternal is by Pierro and is the first foal out of the Fastnet Rock mare Aleria, who has subsequently produced the winning Almanzor filly Undaunting (NZ), the placed Tavistock gelding Nouveau Marche (NZ), a filly by Reliable Man and colts by Circus Maximus and Per Incanto.

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