Talented New Zealand-bred filly Perfumist extended her increasingly impressive winning sequence to three with a commanding all-the-way victory in the A$160,000 Captivant @ Kia Ora Handicap (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.
The daughter of El Roca was a debut winner at Bathurst as a two-year-old and showed promise with two placings from three starts in the spring, but she has gone to a new level since the beginning of last month.
She was a three-length maiden winner at Mudgee on December 6, then added a Benchmark 72 at Canterbury two weeks later. The Benchmark 78 at Randwick was Perfumist’s first appearance in Saturday company in Sydney, and she went out and delivered an even more impressive performance.
Perfumist was ridden by Winona Costin and quickly took the lead after jumping from gate three. She controlled the race from there and pulled away in the straight, opening up a winning margin of two and a half lengths.
Perfumist represents the Warwick Farm stable of expat Kiwi trainer Bjorn Baker, who originally had two leading chances in Saturday’s race but decided to scratch Arriving Home.
“Arriving Home galloped brilliantly at Warwick Farm this morning,” Baker told Racenet. “We have rolled the dice, hoping she will make the field for the Magic Millions Guineas (1400m).
“But I was confident Perfumist could get the job done for us today. She’s one of the most improved horses in training. She has gone ahead in leaps and bounds in this preparation.
“She’s been up a while, so we will just see how she pulls up from this win and take it from there. But she is obviously a promising filly with a lot of upside.”
Carrying the colours of OTI Racing, Perfumist has now had eight starts for four wins, two placings and A$156,425 in stakes.
Perfumist was bred by Westbury Stud owner Gerry Harvey and is by Westbury stallion El Roca. She is the first foal to race out of the unraced Swiss Ace mare Tapputi, whose full-brother Cut Me Loose won two races and placed in the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m).
Westbury Stud offered Perfumist at the 2023 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, where Bjorn Baker Racing, OTI, Phill Cataldo Bloodstock and Clarke Bloodstock bought her for $190,000.
Westbury Stud has a half-brother to Perfumist by Redwood catalogued for Karaka 2025. The colt will go through the ring as Lot 876 in Book 2.
