Trainer Bjorn Baker is giving Havana Rey a quick to his Spring Racing Carnival campaign with the early season Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) the ultimate target for the talented gelding.

Havana Rey will start his Spring Carnival Campaign in the July Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart

Havana Rey impressed Baker with his performance in a barrier trial at Rosehill Gardens this morning and the young trainer is wasting no time getting the son of King Cugat ready for the races.

The July Sprint, which will be run at Randwick on the final Saturday meeting of the 2012/2013 racing season, will be the kick off point for the four-year-old before he heads to Rosehill for the Group 3 Missile Stakes (1100m) and returns to his home base for the Warwick Stakes.

Darley-owned Pinwheel has made the Warwick Stakes his own in the past two years but Baker believes the race is nearly perfect for Havana Rey who has scored five wins from seven races starts at his home track.

“It is probably a tad short of his best, he goes really well at Warwick Farm and he handles any surface, after that we will probably to get him up over a mile,” Baker told TVN this morning.

Baker was a keen observer at the Rosehill barrier trials this morning and was happy with what he saw from Havana Rey.

“He is in good order, he is going well,” Baker said.

“Last time he took a long way to get fit and up and ready so hopefully we can hit the ground running in these early races and be competitive, he does it tough from the front.”

Havana Rey had a lengthy yet successful Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival campaign.

After recording back-to-back wins at Warwick Farm, he made his Group 1 debut when finishing a credible fifth behind Shoot Out in the Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) before recording the biggest win of his career in the Group 2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill.

Baker had a busy morning at Rosehill, winning six separate barrier trials.