Gerald Ryan didn’t expect blue-blooded filly Pajanti to take four starts to break her maiden but now that she has, he hopes she can carry that form into black-type grade.
The three-year-old hails from an outstanding family, her maternal granddam being dual stakes placegetter Monsoon Wedding, a full sister to champion stallion Redoute’s Choice and Group 1 winner Platinum Scissors and half-sister to 2009 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes victor Manhattan Rain.
Pajanti had managed a single city placing in three previous starts, but Ryan said the $500,000 yearling purchase had always shown potential, finally delivering on it in the James Squire Plate (1200m) at Rosehill on Wednesday.
“She has always shown good ability and I thought she would have won her maiden before today,” Ryan said.
“(Owner) Kia Ora (Stud) has been really patient with her, she is an expensive yearling with a great pedigree and she is going the right way.
“There are a couple of nice fillies’ races coming up over the carnival we’d like to aim her at, whether she’s up to that class just yet (I don’t know), but I owe it to Kia Ora to do it.”
Ryan felt Pajanti was plain when ridden conservatively in her first barrier trial this preparation, so he instructed Tim Clark to be more positive in her second.
That move yielded a win, prompting connections to employ similar tactics on Wednesday.
“Last trial we got a bit more aggressive on her so we decided to do that with her (today),” Ryan said.
“She is a pretty laidback filly so perhaps you’ve got to stand over her.”
Pajanti ($6) lifted for Clark when challenged in the straight to down Kirragirl ($11) by a half-length with Alvina’s Luck ($13) another short neck away third.
Meanwhile, English jockey Tom Marquand kicked off his latest Australian stint with two unplaced rides at Rosehill ahead of a busier book for Sydney’s first Group 1 meeting of the year at Randwick on Saturday.
Marquand has become a regular visitor in the autumn, teaming with trainer William Haggas to plunder three of the past four renewals of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes aboard Dubai Honour 2023) and Addeybb (2020-21).
He has rides in nine of the 10 races at Randwick, headed by the James Cummings -trained Cascadian in the Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m) and fellow Godolphin galloper Zardozi in the Surround Stakes (1400m).
