Midnight Dynamite in peak condition for 2026 Missile Stakes

Race fitness is anticipated to be the primary advantage Midnight Dynamite carries into his Missile Stakes confrontation with the more highly rated sprinters Angel Capital and Napoleonic, although this edge will be somewhat offset by a reduction in distance.

Having been among the standout performers of the Sydney winter racing season, Midnight Dynamite secured Listed victories in the Civic Stakes (1400m) and the Winter Challenge (1500m), while also achieving a black-type placing in between these events.

Trainer Bjorn Baker made the decision to keep him in work, considering the option of stretching him to a mile in Friday’s Coffs Harbour Cup, or alternatively, freshening him for the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m), ultimately settling on the latter.

“We toyed with the idea of running him over a bit further in the Coffs Cup, but just timing-wise and with him being deep into a ‘prep’, we’d rather freshen him and bring him back to the 1200 than go up in trip,” Baker’s racing manager, Luke Hilton, said.

“He’s in great order. The gate is a big advantage now. He can settle in the first half of a field and if he’s sharp enough, I don’t think they’re going to run past him on fitness.”

With the exception of Way To The Stars, who is making his second appearance of the season, Midnight Dynamite’s remaining competitors are all resuming from a spell.

The five-year-old gelding has an undefeated record over the 1200m at Randwick, having won his sole start over the course and distance. Hilton confirmed that the horse is in excellent condition and mentally sharp heading into Saturday’s race.

“He’s in a great frame of mind after his last win. We backed right off him for a week, and we’ve built him back up slowly. He looks fantastic,” he reported.

“His work on Tuesday was probably as sharp as I’ve seen him this preparation.

“It’s hard to go to a race like that confident, but I’m confident the horse is as good as he can be.”

Midnight Dynamite, currently at $9, leads a team of five runners for Baker. Amazing Eagle ($4) is considered the stable’s premier chance for victory in the Ranvet Handicap (1000m).

This five-year-old gelding, who was the victor of the 2024 Brian Crowley Stakes (1100m), was purchased as a tried horse by syndicators Darby Racing – a similar acquisition to Midnight Dynamite – and will be aiming to secure his first win for his new ownership group.

Stardeel ($21) is the most unfancied of Baker’s runners, having performed below expectations in two starts since his impressive first-up win at Rosehill in May.

Hilton noted that the horse had valid excuses for his subsequent run but ultimately underperformed last time, leading them to adopt a slightly different strategy to encourage a return to his best form.

“We rode him back last start and thought he had a good run in the race, but he didn’t really finish it off. He’s better than that. We’ve seen it,” Hilton stated.

“We’ve tried to space his runs a touch more into this race and give him three weeks. Hopefully it might spark something.

“He’s got a good gate where he’ll have no excuses and do no work, so he’s really got to step up to the mark because he has been a head scratcher.”

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