Dream horse: Baker relishes Pericles' maiden Group 1 victory

On Saturday, Pericles finally claimed his first Group 1 in the Futurity Stakes (1400m) on his 16th attempt at the class.

Prior to the race, the story was made around the heavy favourite Treasurethe Moment, but Godolphin’s six-year-old proved supreme against the Yulong mare.

Pericles, who is trained by Bjorn Baker, also won his first Group 1 for Godolphin.

Speaking on RSN’s Correct Weight, Baker exclaimed how pleased he was with the Futurity Stakes victory.

“It was very special to win in those colours,” Baker said.

“Godolphin have just been an absolute pleasure to deal with. They’re so straightforward, easy and organised.

“To train for them is very special and winning a Group 1 for them is even more special. (I) definitely don't take that lightly.

“(Pericles is) the sort of horse you dream about getting to train… He's already a stable favourite at our place.

“He's just got a marvellous attitude. He's just so laid-back, easy to deal with and just an absolute gentleman.”

Despite having previously failed to claim a Group 1 victory, Baker had faith that the Futurity Stakes would be the ideal race for Pericles.

“Definitely that was the plan to try and go there first-up. We thought it could suit him,” he said.

“He did a marvellous job in the spring - he was great first-up in the Tramway (1400m) and then ran a great race in the Epsom (1600m), and then he was so good in the Champions Mile (1600m).

“So, I thought with the gate and the way the race sort of looked to pan out, it would suit him ideally. Thankfully that's how it worked.”

Leading into the Futurity, Baker noted that gun hoop Craig Williams had his eyes on Pericles, touching base with the trainer more than a month in advance.

“Craig did actually actively target (Pericles),” he admitted.

“He touched base with me about six weeks ago and obviously I think Andy (Makiv) was involved as well.

“You always like when one of the best puts their hand up early, and (knowing) that we were not going into that race favourite.

“It just shows you he's ahead of the game in terms of how he operates, Craig.”