Leading British point-to-point rider Zac Baker is looking forward to a ride in one of the season’s leading steeplechases, Saturday’s Ladbrokes Trophy Chase at Newbury.
Baker, 26, has been booked by trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies to ride topweight Ballyoptic, a ten-year-old who is set to carry 11st 12lb. The gelding won last year’s Gr.2 Charlie Hall Chase and landed a Gr.1 novices’ hurdle in 2016. He was also second in the 2018 Scottish National, but more recently he pulled up behind Cyrname when bidding for a Charlie Hall repeat.
Driving home from Taunton this afternoon after two unplaced rides for Twiston-Davies, Baker said: “I was riding Ballyoptic on the gallops upsides with Sam [Twiston-Davies] last week, and when we got to the top we met Nige and Sam said, ‘He will struggle to win the Ladbrokes under top weight – I’m going to Bangor that day, why don’t you put Zac on him and claim the 5lb?
“It all went quiet after that, and when I rode a winner on Monday my claim was reduced to 3lb, so I expected them to book someone else, then I looked at the declarations and saw my name. It’s unbelievable.”
Baker has worked full time at Twiston-Davies’ Gloucestershire stable since the summer of 2016, having been a part-time employee for seven months previously. He says: “I’ve ridden Ballyoptic pretty much every day since I first went there. He arrived as a big, strong young horse so they put me on him and you can count the number of times I haven’t ridden him at home since on the fingers of one hand.
“I’ve ridden him once in a race when he started favourite for a hurdle at Newton Abbot, but he was very, very keen and fell in a hole. When he won his Grade One he was virtually carting Ryan Hatch, but he’s gone the other way now and needs a bit of work to keep him at it.
“He’s in great form at home, and as my agent pointed out, he’s number one in the order so I’ll be leading the parade. My plan is just to keep kicking going down to the first, to get a good position and try to stay there.”
Sadly, for what will be one of the highlights of his race-riding career, Baker’s performance will be taking place behind closed doors. He said: “It’s a shame. It’s my parents local track and they go to every meeting, so it’s a pity they won’t be there, but it’s great to get a ride in a race like that. He schools so well at home – you just point and shoot – so I’m looking forward to it.”
Baker says he is hoping to be in action at Chaddesley Corbett for “five or six rides” if point-to-pointing gets the green light to resume on Sunday week.
Only one amateur rider has won Newbury’s most prestigious steeplechase, which for 60 years was known as the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup. Lord Oaksey, riding as Mr John Lawrence, won the second running in 1958 on Taxidermist, but no amateur has been successful since. In 2017 Ladbrokes took on sponsorship of the three-and-a-quarter mile test and the race was renamed.
Some of the best chasers have been successful in the race, including nine who went on to success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup – they include Arkle, who won it twice in 1964 and 1965, while the most recent dual winner was Denman, successful in 2007 and 2009. Conditional jockey Ben Jones landed the race last year on De Rasher Counter, five months after he rode in his final point-to-point at Bratton Down.