Darwin trainer Chloe Baxter only has three horses in her stable, with two having already saluted.
The 30-year-old hopes recent purchase Swing With Junior can emulate stablemates First Crusade and To The Point when she contests Saturday’s Oktoberfest At The Bay 22nd October 0-70 Handicap (1200m) at Fannie Bay.
The five-year-old mare, who boasts a record of four wins and five seconds in 21 career starts, was formerly trained by Kym Hann from Bendigo, who brought six horses to the Top End for the 2022 Darwin Cup Carnival.
Swing With Junior had five starts in the NT for Hann, finishing second on debut over 1000m (Class 2) on May 28 before winning over 1100m (0-58) on June 18.
Come Cup Carnival, the daughter of Warhorse faced the fillies and mares in her next two starts, winning over 1200m (0-62) on July 2 before finishing second in the $30,000 Rosebowl over 1300m (0-70) on July 13.
She then stepped up to 0-76 level over 1300m on July 27, finishing seventh.
“Kym alluded to the fact that he was going to leave some of his horses here,” Baxter said.
“I was keen on her early in the piece and we made a deal probably back at the end of May.
“He promised that if he was leaving her here that he’d sell her to me, so I got lucky there.
“I got her just after her last start here and then I tipped her out for a month in the paddock – she put on a heap of condition and looked a million dollars.
“She’s been back in work for the last five or six weeks and racing on Saturday.
“She did race well during Carnival, she was super.
“Obviously loves the dirt and she’s a very tough little mare, so it’s been a nice one to pick up from Kym.”
Baxter agreed that Swing With Junior faced a big task this weekend going up against capable runners such as Global Wonder, Illustrating Law, Patria, Don’t Wait, Blueberry Boy, Tsugaru and Charretera.
“It’s a tough race for her, very tough – there’s a lot of nice horses going around,” she said.
“I just hope that she hits the line nicely – she’s nice and fit, she hasn’t lost much fitness from her month off, so hopefully just a strong contender.
“It’s a bit out of her class, but she finally gets to go around with a bit less weight that she was carrying – so fingers crossed she runs a good race.”
Baxter has only saddled a horse four times at Fannie Bay, with jockey Casey Hunter guiding the promising First Crusade to an emphatic five-length win against speedy three-year-olds over 1100m (BM66) during the Cup Carnival on July 9.
READ: Baxter breaks training maiden with First Crusade at Darwin
It was Baxter’s first win as a trainer, but it was her third win as an owner after purchasing the gelding in February.
First Crusade, who raced seven times in Queensland and NSW, started his Top End career in April and posted two wins and a second for Garry Lefoe Jnr before Baxter took over as fulltime trainer.
Baxter’s first race as a trainer was June 25, when First Crusade finished third over 1100m (0-62), and it was following his win in early July that the son of Nicconi ran fourth in the $40,000 Samsung 3YO Benchmark 68 Handicap (1200m) behind Flying Start on July 23.
After five starts in Victoria, four-year-old gelding To The Point arrived in Darwin and snuck home for Baxter two weeks ago in an 1100m maiden with Paul Shiers in the saddle.
To The Point backs up on Saturday in a Benchmark 54 Handicap (1100m) with Shiers retaining the ride, while Hunter will partner Swing With Junior.
“The good horse, First Crusade, he is going to come back – if not Melbourne Cup Day, the meeting after,” Baxter said.
“I should hopefully have three nice horses running around during the wet season.”
Thanks to Women in Thoroughbred Racing NT, Baxter received a $1000 donation during the Cup Carnival that went towards her Certificate IV studies in the quest to become a qualified trainer.
After applying to Women in Thoroughbred Racing NT, the organisation was only too happy to provide Baxter with assistance.
“They have been really supportive ever since,” she said.
“I am just an owner-trainer at the moment, but I’m loving it, absolutely loving it.
“Once I get my full licence at the end of this month, then I can start to look at maybe getting a couple of more horses – once I can have owners involved.
“I’ve had a couple of people approach me and introduce themselves at the races, which is really nice.”
Baxter, who still mixes training with fulltime employment with a well-known betting agency, also indicated that friends and work colleagues could jump on board as owners once she becomes a qualified trainer.
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