George Baker believes stable star Get It is ready to give it his all in his bid to become just the fifth back-to-back winner of the Coral Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood.
The evergreen seven-year-old is likely to return to the Sussex venue to defend his crown in the six furlong cavalry charge as opposed to stepping up to Group Two company 24 hours earlier at the King George Qatar Stakes.
However, if the Twilight Son gelding is to achieve the feat last completed by Commanche Falls in 2021 and 2022, he will have to defy a career-high mark of 104, revised after winning the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot last month.
While acknowledging the task ahead of Get It, the Epsom handler expects him to be on the premises.
Baker said: “It is the biggest cliche in racing, but he really owes us nothing. He went up to 104, and if he had gone up to 108 then he probably would have been going for the King George, but we have to have a swing at the bat at this.
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“He would only drop back to five furlongs if the ground looked like being better on the Friday compared to the Saturday.
“He loves the track and course form counts for a lot at Goodwood. He is very quick out of the stalls, but he is probably going to find it tough to win a Stewards’ Cup off one hundred and four, but he is in great order.
“I couldn’t have been more thrilled with what happened at Ascot and all roads have led to the Stewards’ Cup from the moment we crossed the line in the Wokingham. If you could have a few quid on who would be leading after one furlong he would be quite a short price to be doing that.
"He does have this ability to bounce out really quickly, come back under the jockey and then go again. He is just an extraordinary horse."
And looking beyond his next assignment Baker has hinted that he could pitch Get It, who will be re-united with his regular rider Pat Cosgrave on his next start, into Group One company later on in the season.
Baker added “Pat is back on board him. Seamie (Heffernan) was a super sub at Ascot as Pat was banned, but he has been the making of this horse. Pat is the man for him.
“The sprint division is very open, and we will see what happens next Saturday, but he is in the Nunthorpe and I guess that would be a complete bonkers dream. Then we could hope for a good ground Abbaye which comes around once every fifty years, but we need to see how he gets on here first.”
Not only will Baker have Get It representing him in the £250,000 contest, but he also intends to saddle Desert Cop in the race. And with valid excuses for defeats in both the Aston Martin ‘Dash’ Handicap at Epsom Downs and the Wokingham at the Royal meeting, Baker believes the gelded son of Oasis Dream should not be overlooked.
He added: “We have Desert Cop in the race as well and he shouldn’t be underestimated as he has turned a bit of a corner in recent days. He ran really well in Bahrain on quick ground. In the Dash at Epsom he just got wheel spinning on rain-loosened ground at Epsom.
“In the Wokingham he was on the stands' side, and Jim Crowley rode him, and he could see what was going on with Get It, who was 15 lengths clear in the middle so he didn’t really have a race. He hasn’t really had a race since he got back off the plane from Bahrain.
“His last proper run was winning a local Grade One in Bahrain. He is a massive price and I think he will run a big race.”
But before his two sprinters take to the track Baker hopes the enigma that is Beauld As Brass can make it six wins from eight starts this season in the Coral Summer Handicap.
Baker added: “We have the completely bonkers Beauld As Brass going for the one mile six furlong handicap on the Saturday. I used to lose my marbles and get terribly upset about it when he stood in the stalls for a few seconds, but now I just giggle as I know he will come out.
“I don’t know how good he is as he keeps doing it so easily. He won hands and heels at Haydock Park the other day having given them all ten lengths. He will be an interesting one on Saturday as well.”
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