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By Ray Hickson

Everything happened quickly for promising filly Strada Varenna in her first racing campaign but the Bjorn Baker stable is taking a different approach with her spring kick off at Rosehill on Wednesday.

A brilliant debut winner, Strada Varenna started favourite in the Magic Night Stakes at her second start and had she won that she’d have found herself in the Golden Slipper.

A lot has changed since then. She needed some surgery for a fetlock injury, she’s been sold and races in new colours in the Calerie Life Sprint (1100m) where the bar’s been lowered.

“She’s stronger, she’s bigger, her trials have been good,’’ Baker’s racing manager Luke Hilton said.

“We’re pleased with her and we want to step her through the grades now and let her show us the ability we thought she had.

“She performed well as a two-year-old, she didn’t have a lot of luck in her last run and she came out of it having to have surgery.”

That was sixth behind North England in the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes back on April 5.

Strada Varenna has been readied for a return with two trials and Hilton said the latest of them when a close second to Lyles, who won first-up last week, showed she’s coming along to the team's liking.

Strada Varenna runs second in a Randwick trial on October 7

“A fast horse in a fast trial, so that’s definitely encouraging,’’ he said.

“We think she is going to be better in preparations to come, she’s not the finished product.

“I’ll leave it Jason (Collett) how she’s ridden, she’s still a little up in the bridle but she’s getting better.

“I think she is going to be a better horse when she relaxes a touch because she has a very good turn of foot.”

Stayer Thebudgiesmugla was something of a surprise packet when he made his debut for Baker just under two weeks ago and was a closing second in a 2000m race at Hawkesbury.

He had 61.5kg and was a drifter in betting but Hilton said the way he finished his race off suggests the stable has plenty to work with as he steps up in distance in the Ranvet Handicap (2400m).

“He came with proper staying form from New Zealand, we thought he’d run okay but probably didn’t expect him to run as well as he did,’’ he said.

“It’s hard in 1200m trials to get a gauge on stayers but he was fantastic and Dylan (Gibbons) was rapt with him. We think the step up in trip is going to be no issue for him.

“He’s not overly big and he did carry a big weight and was pretty tough first-up.”

The lightly raced five-year-old drops 4.5kg and Hilton said the stable still has blinkers up the sleeve if they are needed in the future as he has worn them previously in New Zealand.

All the fields, form and replays for Wednesday’s Rosehill meeting