Murray Baker says he never has any luck at Riccarton.
He thought he could win a New Zealand Cup in the late 1980s with Miss Stanima only to be topped off by Exocet.
Given Miss Stanima then went on to beat a top horse in Flying Luskin in the Auckland
Cup, you'd have to say Riccarton hasn't been the Baker stable's favourite circuit.
Particularly after what happened last week when favourite We Can Say It Now was scratched late from the $1 million 2000 Guineas and Twilight Savings was narrowly beaten.
The Cambridge trainer would like to end all that with a New Zealand Cup-1000 Guineas double today - Backup in the $225,000 Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup and either We Can Say It Now or Twilight Savings in the $300,000 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas.
That's not impossible.
Murray and Bjorn Baker believe Backup is a live chance in the Cup, even though he has slightly disappointed a couple of times this preparation.
"He badly needs a firm track," said Murray Baker yesterday.
In that case, Backup's second to Blood Brotha in last week's lead-up Metropolitan on a heavy track was a sound effort.
The TAB yesterday had Backup as the $10 fourth favourite for the Cup.
We Can Say It Now and Twilight Savings give the stable an enormously strong hand in the Guineas.
We Can Say It Now was impressive winning the Sarten Memorial at Te Rapa at Labour weekend and has progressed well.
If Mark Du Plessis can steer her a path away from a pocket from her No 1 barrier, she will be hard to keep out in the closing stages.
"Don't forget Twilight Savings," says Baker, "that was a great run second-up on a heavy track last week. She's a lovely natured filly who always does well."
