Donald ducking towards Cups Challenge decider

By Jordan Gerrans

Having gone close in recent years, Toowoomba’s Donald “Ducky” Baker thinks he has the right horse to give the Country Cups Challenge decider a big shake this year.

The experienced Darling Downs conditioner qualified the in-form Picko Rocks through the Clifton heat on Saturday afternoon.

The qualifier for the CCC Final also doubled as the local Cup at Clifton with the son of Pierro scoring by just over two lengths in a commanding performance.

The five-year-old gelding has been an astute purchase for Baker and his band of owners, winning on four occasions and placing a couple more times from eight attempts after being moved on by Gold Coast trainer Lee Freedman.

Baker – who is a former Clifford Park groundsman and clerk of the course – believes Picko Rocks will be up to the task in the CCC decider next month in the city.

“From what I have seen, this guy will be competitive with them, that is for sure,” Baker said.

“Obviously you don’t get a look of the ones from up north but on what I have seen around here, he will be in it.

“The good thing about him is that he finishes his races off well. These series’ are hard to win.”

Baker presented with Mr Tickets in the 2020 CCC Final and finished second to Mareeba sensation Paniagua.

For many trainers, a place in the CCC decider or the Country Stampede is a rare shot at metro Saturday racing.

Baker has been a regular on the city circuit in recent times through the deeds of stable sensation Legal Esprit.

The bay gelding is the reigning champion of the feature Gold Jewel, which was run at Aquis Park in early March.

Picko Rocks won a couple of races under lights on his home deck at Toowoomba through August before turning his attention to bush racing.

He got his required country runs under his belt at Goondiwindi and Tara before then punching his ticket for the CCC decider at Clifton.

The Final will be run over a mile at Doomben on the last Saturday in November with $200,000 in the offering.

“The only time he has not run well for me was over 1400 metres as that seems too short for him,” the veteran horseman said.

“As soon as he steps up to the mile, then he is a different horse all together.

“He will get 1800 metres no troubles but all he needs to do is get a mile for the Final of this series.

“I will find another race for him between now and the Final seeing as he has now had enough country run to qualify. That is all he will need.”

With Shannon Apthorpe in the saddle, Picko Rocks had to get going behind the home turn to reel in the leaders but he had enough in the tank to skip away in the concluding stages at Clifton. 

“He was ridden a little bit upside down because he had to go forward on that little tight track,” the Toowoomba trainer said.

“He still got home good and is pretty versatile. You had to be on pace there on Saturday with the short straight.”

The Baker stable has started the 2024-25 campaign in particularly strong fashion.

They have taken a dozen starters to the races for five triumphs and three finishes in the money.

Picko Rocks’ stable mate Tijuana Two Step has contributed to Baker’s nice strike-rate to start the term.

“The horses have been going well,” he said.

The 67-year-old Baker once worked for the Toowoomba Turf Club before starting his training career late in life and has a small team of horses in work at Toowoomba.

Baker has only been training for around 20 years after moving to Toowoomba in 1988.

In other heats held over the weekend, Caloundra’s Louie Peoples headed to Gympie with Centaur and booked a spot in next month’s CCC Final in Brisbane.

Peoples is hoping it will be third time lucky for the galloper at Doomben on November 30.

Centaur's win was Peoples’ first starter as a solo trainer after recently ended his partnership with his mother Kristie Clark.