BJORN BAKER LINING THE RAMPARTS IN PREPARATION FOR HIS DEFENCE OF THE MM TWO-YEAR-OLD CLASSIC

By Graham Potter | Thursday, December 18, 2025

Chances are Bjorn Baker will be booking a flight and accommodation at the Gold Coast in the days leading up to Magic Millions race-day this time around, which will give him a couple of days breathing space before the running of the Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic in which he will be defending his crown.

Last year, Baker was caught out when his flight from Sydney was delayed on the morning of raceday, and he ended up listening to the big race commentary of the win of his runner O’Ole in a taxi on the way to the track. Baker had the O’Ole silks with him which left the Ole Kirk filly having to trace in club colours.

Make no mistake. Baker will take the result anytime, wherever he might be … and he certainly never loses any time in getting the celebrations underway, but easing into the big day after a good night’s sleep and a short drive to the track is always the preferable option.

The stable is already sitting pretty in terms of its involvement in the upcoming 2026 edition of the Two-Year-Old Classic with Baker having unleashed both Paradoxium and Masvingo in the Wyong Magic Millions Classic where Paradoxium smashed his rivals winning by a clearcut 2.84 length margin.

Paradoxium currently holds down fourth position in the Magic Million’s Two-Year-Old Order Of Entry.

That was Paradoxium’s second career start and it came a little over two months after the son of Extreme Choice had finished fourth on debut, 1.55 lengths behind Incognito in the Group 3 Breeders’ Plate at Randwick.

Of the three runners who finished in front of Paradoxium at Randwick, the winner, incognito, and the runner-up I’m Ya Huckelberry have not raced since, while the third placegetter, Revengeance, franked that race’s form by winning the Group 3 Golden Gift at Rosehill in his next start.

Masvingo, who finished third in the Wyong Classic behind her stable companion, was also having her second career start, also after a little over a two-month break.

Like Paradoxium, Masvingo chased Group 3 glory on debut, with her target being the Gimcrack where she finished in third place, just 0.33 lengths behind the winner.

That winner was the very impressive Shiki who, while she has not raced since, she has been kept ticking along nicely by the Gai Waterhouse / Adrian Bott team winning two nicely spaced trials.

Shiki currently sits in a comfortable second place in the Magic Million’s Two-Year-Old Order Of Entry, while Masvingo currently holds down fourth position.

And, with a month to go to the Magic Millions race-day, plenty of further movement is possible, with Baker sending out two first-timers over the next couple of days with the intention of having them leapfrog into contention on the Magic Millions Order Of Entry.

The All Too Hard filly Modernist will contest the Magic Millions The Debut at the Gold Coast on Friday night, while the Sword Of State colt Warwoven will line up in a Two-Year-Old Plate at Sydney on Saturday.

Rachel King will make the trip up and down the east coast to ride both of these runners.

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