Trainer Bjorn Baker is pleased with A$10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) contender Perfumist (NZ) (El Roca) heading into Saturday’s contest at Randwick.
The OTI-raced daughter of El Roca has built towards peak form, winning a Benchmark 94 two starts back before finishing a game runner-up in the Gr.3 Angst Stakes (1600m) behind Idle Flyer.
A go-forward runner, Perfumist has drawn the inside barrier and will be ridden by Rachel King and is a $16 chance in a market headed by the unbeaten Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) ($2.05).
“When she finds form, she holds form,” Baker said.
“Even if the track has a little bit of cut in it, I wouldn’t be too worried about it.
“From gate 1, she’s got great natural speed and she was really good last time.
“She got beaten by what I think is a very good horse that will be hard to beat in Melbourne on Saturday, called Idle Flyer (Dundeel).
“She’s had two runs at a mile and comes slightly back in trip and I’m just hopeful she’s got that natural gate speed. She may be hard to chase down.”
Perfumist breezed up in 10.7 seconds at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale and was purchased for $190,000 by the combination of Bjorn Baker Racing, bloodstock agents Phill Cataldo and Jim Clarke, along with OTI Racing.
From a 16-race career, Perfumist has now recorded six wins and four seconds. She has earned A$588,758 in stakes to date, with Saturday’s first prize of A$5,250,000 the most lucrative purse in Australian racing beyond the slot deal of The Everest.