Taking a step back from the silk department, Bjorn Baker’s fantastic money spinner Arapaho (FR) made a delayed trip to Melbourne worthwhile for Rachel King with victory in the $750,000 Group II Quayclean Zipping Classic (2400m) at Caulfield.
The Group 1 ATC Tancred Stakes winner overpowered the game Smokin’ Romans by three-quarters of a length, with Berkeley Square four and three-quarter lengths back in third.
With his fifth stakes success, the son of Lope De Vega (IRE) advances his record to nine wins, five seconds, and three thirds from 39 starts with earnings of $2,544,950.
“He’s a special horse for the team, it’s taken a long time to get him back,” stable representative Luke Hilton said.
“He put the writing on the wall a couple of starts ago and he backed it up again in the Champions Stakes and then he’s just franked it today. He’s a Group 1 horse and he’s back.
“His work on Tuesday, Bjorn said to me, he said ‘I’ve never ever had a stayer, or him, work like he did.
“So we came full of confidence. The track was obviously a little bit of a question mark - he has won on heavy before - but it was a really good result.
“It was a fantastic ride. She loves this horse, she knows him so well, she knows him inside out and that was just an outstanding win.
“It was a very special win as well because we actually lost one of his owners (Paul Griffin) during the week and we had his funeral and I know he’d be looking down on him and he gave him a good kick home I’m sure.”
Rachel King said it was troubling when her flight from Sydney was delayed.
“Definitely not as designed, but we knew it was going to be worth it once we got here. Slight delay in Sydney getting here, but nothing was going to stop me from coming down to ride this horse.
“He’s a dream, I can’t take much credit for it, he gets out there and does it. Good, soft heavy, he does the same and I was all horses tried like him - he’s just got the biggest heart.”
Arapaho (FR) was a Listed winner at Deauville at three for Andre Fabre.
Bjorn Baker Racing/Avenue Bloodstock/Clarke Bloodstock shelled out €140,000 for the son of Lope de Vega at the 2020 Arqana Autumn Sale.
He is a half-brother to Listed winner Alula Borealus (Kendargent) and Group III Colin Stephen Stakes winner Athabascan (Almanzor), who was runner-up in the Group 1 Sydney Cup.
They are three of the four winners out of the Listed Saint-Cloud Prix Dahlia winner Alzubra (Dansili).
