Westbury Stud graduate Perfumist will be returning home for a crack at the richest three-year-old race in Australasia.
The progressive daughter of El Roca has been secured by slot holder RACE INC, who fended off a number of other interested parties, to represent them in the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi.
“It was a strong deal that we put together and I am glad that it has come off,” General Manager Brad Taylor said.
“It is exciting for the club. She is going to be a great chance in the race, she is in great form, and Bjorn is flying as well. We are really pleased to do a deal with him.
“Our rating analyst thinks she is a really good chance in the race, so fingers crossed she can bring that form across the Tasman.”
The inaugural edition of the event will be run at Ellerslie on March 8 and Perfumist’s trainer Bjorn Baker is confident she can make an impact.
“She is definitely a progressive filly, she has come a long way this preparation,” he said.
“She is set to fly over on Sunday and we will probably stay in Cambridge at this stage.”
Baker is no stranger to slot races, having been victorious in both editions of the A$5 million The Quokka at Ascot with Overpass.
“I have had a little bit of experience with them, particularly with the Quokka, which has been very good to me in Perth,” Baker said.
Perfumist will head to New Zealand in cracking form against the older horses and finished a sound second at Randwick over 1400 metres on Saturday after winning her previous four starts.
She has a career record of five victories and three placings from 10 appearances.
“She’s a filly that has just continued to improve and one I think is going to be a Group performer,” Baker said.
Perfumist was offered through Westbury’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale draft and was bought for $190,000, the ticket signed by Baker, bloodstock agents Phill Cataldo and Jim Clarke with OTI Racing.
She is a daughter of Tapputi, an unraced Swiss Ace mare who is out of a half-sister to the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Polar Success who also produced the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic winner Lillemor.
Westbury sold a half-brother to Perfumist by Redwood to Hong Kong’s Tartan Meadow Bloodstock for $80,000 at last month’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale.