Baroque Knight On Lismore Cup Trail

GOLDEN Easter Egg placegetter Baroque Knight is on the comeback trail after a series of minor injuries which have forced him off the track since April.

The son of Fernando Bale and Cosmic Heir chased home superstars Tommy Shelby and Wow when beaten only four and three-quarter lengths in the Golden Easter Egg for owner John Tindall and trainer Steve Keep.

He landed a fortune in all-in place bets for connections with the career best performance.

“But he slightly tore a pin muscle the Tuesday after he ran third in the Egg,” Keep said.

“I got him over that and he hurt the pin on the other side. We got over that and then he blew out the first pin.”

Baroque Knight, the winner at 11 of his 23 starts for $55,000 in stakes, has been trialling around the new-look Grafton track in preparation for his return to racing.

“He had a slip and then a 350 metre trial when he ran 22.26. It was a great first trial out of the boxes,” Keep said. “But he should have gone quicker because he hit the running rail twice during the trial.”

Keep said he cannot believe how the long break from racing had matured Baroque Knight.

“I think those trips to Sydney in the lead-up to the Egg final has helped him so much,” he said. “He is a different dog.”

Keep is eyeing the Group 2 Lismore Gold Cup (520m) the series to be run on October 19 and 26.

“He's getting over a slight spike to the back of his stopper wich he did when galloping up the straight,” he said. “I'm looking at bringing him back over 350 metres at Grafton.

“Then we will look to taking him to Lismore in preparation for the Cup heats.”

Keep is also on target to get veteran speedster Copperhead Rogue back on the track.

The winner of 20 races, he has not started since October 2020.

“He hurt a stopper bone but trialled on the same day Baroque Knight went 20.26 at Grafton,” Keep added.

“The old boy went 20.30 so he's back as well. We will take our time with him and he needs to get a stewards' clearance before racing again.

“He will love racing over the 350 metres at Grafton.”