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The best result Bjorn Baker can boast from a Sydney metropolitan race day is a winning double, but bookmakers are on high alert for the Warwick Farm trainer to surpass that at Canterbury on Saturday.
Baker boasts runners near the top of betting in three races for a rare weekend trip to Sydney's inner west – and isn't discounting the chances of outsider Off The Rails in the last.
"I've had a couple of doubles, but no trebles," Baker said. "But what I do know is it's very hard racing and and we'll just see what happens."
Much to the trainer's delight, he is also going to play a big role in whether premiership pacesetter Hugh Bowman can win his third jockeys' title after vaulting to a one-and-a-half win lead from the chasing James McDonald and Blake Shinn with a four-timer on Wednesday.
Bowman will partner speedy greys Zaratone and Coolring before linking with Hard To Hold, challenging stablemate Miss Tenpins for favouritism in the seventh.
"I try to get him on when I can and I have had a lot of luck with him, but he's often not easy to get," Baker said. "It's nice to have him on a couple on Saturday for sure."
Much of Baker's focus will be on two stable stalwarts at different ends of the spectrum in the feature July Sprint, which drew a paltry field of seven acceptors.
Rising 10-year-old Zaratone will be chasing his first win since November 2013, but Baker would be forgiven for having more than a glancing eye on the resuming Burbero, set to settle at the other end of the field.
The Ajax Stakes winner from last campaign was fitted for the race with a quiet Kembla Grange trial and will take two kilograms off for Brodie Loy's claim.
"He'll need the run and he had a super prep last time against some top sprinters and he'll get back and maybe if they go fast enough he'll finish it off," Baker said. "I would like to have a look at the Epsom [later in the spring]. That might be wishful thinking, but time will tell."
Burbero was on the fourth line of betting at $10 with most satchel swingers worried some of his rivals will be too nippy over 1100 metres, including Zaratone, who can camp off the flying Kencella in the run.
"I guess I'm a bit concerned about that horse [Kencella] going too hard," Baker said. "He [Zaratone] hasn't put in a bad run and he's had a good prep it's fair to say. It's not going to be easy for him, but I'm hoping he'll run well."
Baker has applied the blinkers to Coolring in the sixth to sharpen him after a couple of plain runs to begin the preparation and he was challenging for favouritism at $4.40 on Thursday evening.
"He's got to be a show in this race and I would have thought third-up will be his go and he's in good order," Baker said.
Perhaps Baker's best chance of success rests in the next race, with Miss Tenpins and Hard To Hold vying for top billing in betting in the seventh.
"Both have got in-form jockeys and both have drawn well and I'd be loathe to pick between them," he said.
