Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Another impressive performance by lightly raced mare Our Queen at Warwick Farm on Monday could springboard her into the spring carnival.

The five-year-old scored a runaway win at her first run for Bjorn Baker last month and the stable will be using the TAB Handicap (1400m) as a guide to her next step.

Luke Hilton (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Baker’s racing manager Luke Hilton said Our Queen could be on course to join Saturday’s impressive winner Perfumist in the Group 3 Angst Stakes (1600m) on Everest Day.

“Bjorn has half an eye on the Angst if she can come out and win really well,’’ Hilton said.

“A race like the Five Diamonds might be an option as well.

“She has a nice gate and it looks to set up well but she’s got to go and do it, and hopefully she can.”

Our Queen, $1.80 with TAB on Sunday, was formerly trained by Mike Moroney and Glen Thompson, winning two of her three starts in Victoria.

Hilton said the mare’s runaway win at Canterbury could be the tip of the iceberg given the stable expected the 1250m to be at the lower end of her powers.

“We were pleased with that, we thought she could go and do something like that,’’ he said.

“It was a bit of an unsuitable distance, we know she will be better when she gets out over further.

“We want to see her, and expect her to, go there and do something like that again with what we have in mind.”

Baker produces two sprinters first-up in the Switzerland @ Coolmore Handicap (1000m) with Imperial Force and Shezanalister kicking off their campaigns.

Imperial Force won his first two starts for the Baker stable before running second in the Group 2 Arrowfield Stakes in April and has won both trials on the way to resuming.

Shezanalister has won four of her five first-up attempts and Hilton said her latest trial behind Jimmysstar showed she’s in good order.

“Imperial Force looked really good in his trials, Shezanalister was fair in her first trial and better in the second but that’s a little bit her,’’ he said.

“They’re both forward enough to run well.”

All the fields, form and replays for Monday's Warwick Farm meeting