2024 Stradbroke Handicap winner Stefi Magnetica could attempt Tattersall’s Tiara double

Trainer Bjorn Baker celebrated his first Stradbroke Handicap victory from a business centre at a hotel in London, where he is staying for Rachel King’s wedding.

Jockey Zac Lloyd comes back to scale aboard Stradbroke victor Stefi Magnetica (left) as Bjorn Baker (right), who watched the race from London, shares a social media message describing the winning feeling as "bloody fantastic".

Stefi Magnetica could look to become just the fourth filly to do the Stradbroke Handicap-Tattersall’s Tiara double as trainer Bjorn Baker weighs up what the future holds for his new stable star.

Baker watched his first ever Stradbroke victory from his hotel in the early hours of the morning in London as jockey Zac Lloyd pulled off a perfect rails run to grab the $3m prize.

Only Dane Ripper (1997), Srikandi (2015) and Tofane (2021) have done the lucrative Group 1 winter double, and Baker said he would strongly consider going back to Eagle Farm in a fortnight’s time for the race in which she is an equal $6 favourite with TAB.

“We will have a good think about whether we have a look at the Tatt’s Tiara or put her out and look at an Everest tilt, and or the Golden Eagle in the spring,” Baker said.

The filly Stefi Magnetica wins an epic G1 Stradbroke - and it’s @ZacLloydx with his first Group 1 winner! 🙌@[e-mail]/eQl5rMReHB

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 15, 2024

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“She got all the breaks from a wide gate there in the Straddy and I thought Zac rode her amazingly well, she was able to save ground.

“Zac’s underway with a Group 1 now and funnily enough, the first horse I took over to Australia when I was in New Zealand with my father was Nom Du Jeu, which was Jeff Lloyd’s first Group 1 winner in Australia.

“I watched it from the business centre in the hotel here in London, I think I woke half the place up.

“With the time zones a bit different over here, we can celebrate a bit longer than usual.”

With a number of big money races in the works, Stefi Magnetica’s rise to Group 1 glory comes at a good time for Baker and the Queensland-based Cunningham family, who purchased her for $120,000.

What a day it’s been & it’s still only breakfast time in London!

Gotta love the Brisbane Carnival! Over the moon to win the Brisbane Cup with ALEGRON & simply thrilled to win the time-honoured Stradbroke with STEFI MAGNETICA 😁😁😁@BrisRacingClub@[e-mail]/ym84bLykEJ

— Bjorn Baker Racing (@BBakerRacing) June 15, 2024

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It marks a remarkable rise to fame, after only breaking her maiden at Wellington last year and winning in Benchmark 58 grade at Orange in December.

“She has done a super job, it’s fair to say she has been very unlucky in a few of her last half dozen starts,” Baker said.

“Zac rode her at Rosehill one day and she should have won by a massive margin but never got clear air.

“We thought she was a pretty good filly all along and she came up for the Magic Millions Debut race and it was a wet track that day.”

Originally published as 2024 Stradbroke Handicap winner Stefi Magnetica could attempt Tattersall’s Tiara double