Jockey Rachel King has drawn comparisons between herself and the promising, still-developing filly Blue Door.
The Bjorn Baker-trained three-year-old is scheduled to commence her seasonal campaign in the Listed Rosebud (1100m) this Saturday. She achieved a significant victory by defeating the highly-touted colt The Next Episode in her single prior start, the Kindergarten Stakes (1100m), back in April.
She is expected to be among the least experienced and potentially smallest contenders in the field.
However, King, whose own smaller stature has never hindered her competitive edge on the racetrack, believes Blue Door’s size will not be a disadvantage. She is confident the filly’s feisty attitude will assist her in navigating the expected physical challenges in the full 16-horse field.
“She’s got little horse syndrome a bit,” King said.
“She’s a bit like me. She thinks she’s bigger than what she is, so I think she will stand her ground.
“But you don’t know until you get to race day. Hopefully she’s in the first few anyway and out of trouble.”
Connections opted against continuing Blue Door’s racing campaign after her initial win, choosing instead to allow her time to mature.
King feels this was a prudent decision, noting that the filly has developed and physically improved since her juvenile racing days.
“She’s done nothing wrong so far and it was probably the right thing to do. Just give her the one run then let her go out for a break, take it all in and mature, which she definitely has,” King said.
“I’ve done all her gallops at home, and she’s fast.
“She’s got that good attitude, and she has definitely strengthened from last preparation. She’s never going to be a big filly, but she has filled out.”
Since the Rosebud was first run in its current format in 2011, only two fillies have emerged victorious: She’s A Fox in 2012 and Tiz Invincible in 2023.
Many trainers opt to wait for the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) against their own sex a week later. Despite this, eight fillies were nominated for Saturday’s renewal, and Blue Door was listed as the $3.90 favourite on Thursday.
King is also set to ride Savvy Diamond for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the three-year-old benchmark race. While she did not partner the filly for her debut win at Goulburn, King did test her in a prior barrier trial and expects her to be competitive.
“She was good when she trialled, and it was nice to see her go down there and get the win on the board straight away,” King said.
“Gai and Adrian do it quite a bit, sending them out wide to get them a bit of confidence at their first start before bringing them to town.
“She obviously handled her first run well, came out of it well, and 52 (kilos) on her back helps coming to Saturday grade.”
For those interested in the upcoming race, checking out Australian betting sites for the latest racing betting markets is recommended.