Back to her best. Baker eyes Epsom blowout before Dance date
Trainer Bjorn Baker is convinced he has Perfumist (NZ) (El Roca) back at the top of her game as he targets a lucrative Royal Randwick mile double.
Baker won a Doncaster Mile with Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard) (2025) and an Ingham via Robusto (Churchill) (2024) but harbours ambitions of adding both the $1.5 million Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and $3 million Listed Big Dance to that haul.
Perfumist will get her chance in the first of those events when she attempts to cause an Epsom boilover with lightweight jockey Rachel King aboard.
The daughter of El Roca thrust herself into Group 1 calculations with an impressive return earlier this month when dominating the Group 3 Tibbie Stakes (1400m) at Newcastle.
I think she is back to her best," Baker said.
"She has got 50kg and a run under her belt.
"She will be able to put herself up on speed, she has a flexible racing pattern so can sit off them too."
No horse has ever won the Tibbie Stakes-Epsom Handicap double.
Perfumist is a $23 contender to achieve the feat in a competitive Epsom that is headlined by Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) ($3.50 favourite) and unbeaten Kiwi sensation Well Written (Written Tycoon) ($4.60).
King will only have two horses outside her when they jump after Perfumist drew barrier 17.
The draw is what it is, I'd have preferred her to draw two or three but we can't change what we've got," Baker said.
"History shows wide draws are not the worst thing in big Randwick miles and she's got the speed to offset it with a lightweight."
The Big Dance will come later in the carnival on the first Tuesday in November.
Perfumist qualified for the race with a narrow win at Wellington in April but had struggled to show her best form in two autumn starts before then.
Her explosive performance in the Tibbie Stakes was even better than Baker expected.
"I was surprised and the punters really did get it right," Baker said.
"She was able to put herself in a lovely spot after she was really, really well backed and I had thought she would probably need a run or two to get back to her best but she went super.
"I guess last preparation she was a little bit disappointing throughout and we were able to pull something out of the ashes with the Wellington Cup, which she only just won."
"In the spring last year, she was excellent. Obviously finishing a great second to Idle Flyer (Dundeel) so that form has worked out well."
Perfumist was bred by Westbury Stud owner Gerry Harvey and is by Westbury stallion El Roca. 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.
