Perfumist’s place in the $10 million Golden Eagle was confirmed this morning, drawing barrier 1 for the 1500m feature at Royal Randwick this Saturday.
Trainer Bjorn Baker is pleased with where the mare sits going into the race after her final gallop this morning “No doubt it’s going to be one of the stronger races of the year but she’s in good form, back slightly in trip, she’s got a good grounding and her work this morning was excellent.”
Rachel King, who was in the saddle for her final piece of work this morning and who is booked to ride on Saturday was equally confident “She keeps getting better each week and she still has that good bit of freshness in her.”
Perfumist comes into the Golden Eagle off the back of a strong preparation. Her ability was on full show two starts back at Randwick, producing a dominant front-running performance to claim the 1600m “Melbourne Storm Mile”, crossing the line 4 lengths ahead of the runner up Idle Flyer, who was another 5 lengths ahead of the 3rd-placed runner. Perfumist also set a class-record for the 1600m of 1:33.01.
Perfumist’s recent win at Randwick
Two weeks later, she returned over the same course and distance in the Group 3 Angst Stakes, this time finishing 2nd to Idle Flyer. While the tables were turned from their previous clash, the performance nonetheless boosted her record, now stamping her as a Group-placed mare.
The New Zealand-bred daughter of El Roca had already proven her class, with six wins and three placings from 15 starts. Her 3-year-old season last year included four consecutive wins which earned her a ticket to the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi at Ellerslie in March, where she finished a respectable 5th.
Now a four year old, Perfumist faces her toughest test yet in Saturday’s Golden Eagle, where she will take on some of the best company of her career. With her excellent lead-up form and an inside draw, we are eager to see her performance on the big stage.
The Golden Eagle also carries a charitable element, with 10% of each horse’s prizemoney donated to an assigned charity. In Perfumist’s case, her run will support the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, a charity that works with health officials and communities to supply hospitals across Australia with medical equipment for sick children.
A strong performance on Saturday would not only be a career highlight for Perfumist, but would also make a meaningful contribution to this foundation’s cause.