This was trainer Bjorn Baker’s passionate plea to owner John Singleton after Blue Door made all in the Group 3 $250,000 Heritage Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Blue Door gave a brilliant display of sustained speed to win convincingly in near track-record time to put herself into the conversation for a slot in the Group 1 $20 million The Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 17.
Singleton wasn’t on track for Blue Door’s win but the owner can expect to receive some calls from slot-holders to ascertain his interest for The Everest.
It is understood Newgate is looking closely at Blue Door as she is a daughter of their boom young stallion, Stay Inside.
Blue Door was only having her fourth start for her second win and two seconds, and the filly is obviously blessed with abundant natural speed.
“I tell you what no weight, weight-for-age, there is a race in three weeks – Singo you there?” Baker repeated.
“But that was exciting, she has always shown us a lot and we will see what happens.
“She would add a real dynamic to the race (Everest). She’s a very fast filly, she had to carry a bit more weight today, she has natural gate speed, she paraded great and is a filly on the rise.
“She set up a track record speed last time, you get them chasing and it could be an absolutely different story and with no weight, who knows?”
Blue Door has never been beyond 1100m in her short race career and Baker seemed to have a ready-made quip when asked how the filly would cope with 1200m.
“From 1100m to 1200m – Sir Edmund Hillary was getting to the final steps of The Everest and he got a bit tired but he found a way, it’s Kiwi trait. He was the first to climb Everest and he was a New Zealander,” Baker quipped.
Blue Door ($1.85 favourite) was simply too fast and too good for her rivals, winning by two-and-a-quarter lengths from Ciaron’s Star ($8), with Outspan ($41) a length away third.
Champion jockey Nash Rawiller has ridden a lot of Singleton’s best horses over the years, most notably the outstanding mare More Joyous, and he will have nothing but praise for the filly when he gets to report to the owner.
“Blue Door’s gifted, isn’t she! She’s just explosive,” Rawiller said.
“She has so much speed, it’s just harnessing it, I think. She’s too quick for her own good.
“It’s not very often you pull up and think, gee, this reminds me of a smaller version of More Joyous. I don’t know if it’s the colours of her, or just the long action but this filly is very exciting.”
Blue Door found the front early through her sheer natural speed and Rawiller was able to maintain a solid but controlling tempo throughout the race.
“That’s her, though, she makes it look easy,” Rawiller said.
“Even though she makes it look easy, it’s a speed you can’t keep running, but she did a very good job today.
“She travelled well and with a couple of runs under her belt, she was really solid right to the line.”
Blue Door won the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes at her only start last season and resumed with successive seconds to Chilly Girl in the Listed The Rosebud before beating all but Guest House in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes, but she was dominant in the Heritage Stakes.
“She was very smooth and lovely to see John Singleton’s colours winning,” Baker said.
“John isn’t here but his family is, his daughter is here, and this filly is pretty special to him.
“I’m very lucky to train a very good, very fast filly – and she is exceptionally fast.”
