It’s not often a jockey compares themselves to a racehorse, but Rachel King can see parallels between herself and untapped filly Blue Door.
The Bjorn Baker-trained three-year-old will make her seasonal return in the Listed Rosebud (1100m) on Saturday having claimed the scalp of exciting colt The Next Episode at her only appearance in the Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) in April.
One of the least experienced horses in the field, she is also likely to be one of the smallest.
However, just as King’s petite frame doesn’t stop her being ultra-competitive on the racetrack, she expects it won’t hinder Blue Door, confident the filly’s attitude will help the pint-sized filly navigate any bustling in the bumper field of 16.
“She’s got little horse syndrome a bit,” King said.
“She’s a bit like me. She thinks she’s bigger than what she is, so I think she will stand her ground.
“But you don’t know until you get to race day. Hopefully she’s in the first few anyway and out of trouble.”
Connections resisted the temptation to continue with Blue Door’s campaign after her debut win, opting to give her time to mature.
King believes that has been a sound move and says the filly has developed and furnished since her juvenile year.
“She’s done nothing wrong so far and it was probably the right thing to do. Just give her the one run then let her go out for a break, take it all in and mature, which she definitely has,” King said.
“I’ve done all her gallops at home, and she’s fast.
“She’s got that good attitude, and she has definitely strengthened from last preparation. She’s never going to be a big filly, but she has filled out.”
Only two fillies have won the Rosebud since it was first held in its current format in 2011 – She’s A Fox (2012) and Tiz Invincible (2023).
Most wait for the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) against their own sex a week later, although eight were paid up for Saturday’s renewal and Blue Door was a $3.90 favourite on Thursday.
King will partner Savvy Diamond for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the benchmark race for three-year-olds, and while she wasn’t aboard for her debut win at Goulburn, she did test her in a prior barrier trial and expects her to be competitive.
“She was good when she trialled, and it was nice to see her go down there and get the win on the board straight away,” King said.
“Gai and Adrian do it quite a bit, sending them out wide to get them a bit of confidence at their first start before bringing them to town.
“She obviously handled her first run well, came out of it well, and 52 (kilos) on her back helps coming to Saturday grade.”