Peron will back up in the Tatt’s Tiara after her dominant win in the Gai Waterhouse Classic (1350m) at Ipswich on Saturday.
Peron will tackle the final Group One of the Australian racing season with John Thompson rating her superior to Pear Tart, the filly he trained to win last year’s Tiara.
“She’s all over a better horse than Pear Tart and if she gets there in good shape next week she’ll give it a shake,” Thompson said.
“She’s all class and she’s shown that from day one but it’s taken until today for her to win in black-type company.”
Thompson considered scratching Peron from the Classic when the Ipswich track was rated heavy on Saturday morning.
“I was 50-50 about running her but I spoke to a few of the locals and they assured me the track would dry out in time for her race so we decided to go for it,” Thompson said.
“She’s a far better filly on top of the ground and because it was Ipswich we had to ride her out of her comfort zone a bit but she was good enough to cope with it.”
Jockey Michael Cahill said Peron, who started favourite at $3.80, wasn’t comfortable on the slow track but was too classy for her rivals winning by two lengths from Skating On Ice ($21) with Doubtfilly ($11) a half length away third.
“We never saw the best of her today because of the slow going but she’s a very good filly and I’m fortunate to be riding her,” Cahill said.
“She was a bit fresh today going to the barriers so I thought I might be able to ride her a bit handier.
“On the home turn she was pushed off the track and exposed a bit earlier than I would’ve liked but good horses like her can overcome those setbacks.”
