Trainer Bjorn Baker with Unencumbered, the favourite for the Magic Millions. Source: Brendan Radke / News Limited
BJORN Baker's Magic Millions dream was almost shot before it began.
The young Sydney trainer was all smiles on Tuesday after his charge Unencumbered, which was the last horse to be drawn out of the barrier draw, came up with the perfect position in gate three.
But it wasn't so long ago when Baker didn't even expect to have a runner, let alone the favourite, in this year's Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
Baker thought he had the perfect horse to target the carnival's feature race this year but when Unencumbered was beaten more than six lengths in his first official barrier trial at Royal Randwick in late September, he was left scratching his head.
"It was a long drive back to Warwick Farm that day I can tell you," Baker recalls.
"You sort of hang your hat on hoping one of the early two-year-olds will come up and he was the one that I thought would but he just never fired.
"I was mystified and he had shown a lot in a jump-out and won that easily before the trial.
"But he finished sixth of eight in his first trial and you do start to doubt whether he is as good as you think.
"But it was his first trip away from home and he was a bit cluttered up between horses and maybe that was the reason.
"Or maybe he just had an off day, who knows."
Baker's mind was soon put to rest when Unencumbered bounced back to win a trial at Rosehill a week later.
But even when the Testa Rossa colt scored by half-a-length over 1000m on debut at Randwick on October 12, Baker still wasn't sold.
"It was a good win but it wasn't sensational," he said.
"Then he come out and got beaten at his second start.
"But after that he had a bit of a break and since he has come back he has done everything right.
"He won a trial at Rosehill and then won at Kensington very well and then his win at Wyong was a bit softer than it looked."
Fast forward to the present and the $70,000 purchase is certain to start a raging favourite in Saturday's rich race.
Baker knows things couldn't have panned out better at the barrier draw but the perfect preparation almost came unstuck.
"We were doing the maths the whole time in our heads and at one stage it was about a 65 per cent chance of drawing outside barrier 15," he said.
"It's a relief to draw barrier three and it takes one factor out of it."
Unencumbered firmed to $3.50 after the barrier draw and his short price comes after he continued on his upward spiral when winning last month's Group 3 BJ McLachlan Stakes (1200m) at Doomben.
And after watching Unencumbered have his last serious hit out on the Gold Coast course proper Tuesday morning, Baker is confident he is still on the rise for his grand final this Saturday.
"He looked to go very well and we're on track for Saturday," Baker said after the gallop.
"He is handling everything well and he has really thrived since arriving on the Gold Coast (on Boxing Day).
"That's the second time he has been on the course proper and that can only be a positive thing.
"He can race forward or back and extricate himself out of trouble and while I haven't had a runner in the race I think he is the right sort of horse to bring to the Magic Millions."
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