By Chris Roots
Wizard of Odds: Live Odds, Form and Alerts for all Racing
Gerard Ryan is hoping Perignon can put a stop to the what-ifs that have plagued her career in the Tea Rose Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
Tea Rose hopeful: Trainer Gerald Ryan is upbeat about Perignon's chances on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
Perignon has one win from six starts but has had her share of bad luck. She now gets to a trip where Ryan thinks she will be most effective.
The Rosehill trainer will only have two runners on Saturday with Fireworks joining her more fancied stablemate in the group 2 for fillies.
Fireworks has the better CV for the moment, a group 3 winner from the Widden Stakes after having made it through to the Golden Slipper as juvenile.
However, Perignon appears to have the potential to get become a black type winner as well.
"They are two different fillies. Fireworks is small but did it as a baby I just want to see her to get the right run and let go down the outside. She has drawn one and usually you would take that but this case I would prefer a wider gate," Ryan said.
"Perignon is just waiting to have a bit of luck. I have always thought 1400m and beyond would be her go and if she gets the right luck she is going to be hard to beat."
Perignon, a daughter of Snitzel, comes from a family Ryan knows well, not that he had a rap on it before her.
"I had two of them from the mare and they were small and sprinters. She is completely different to the other two. She has a lot more scope," Ryan said.
"From the first time I saw she looked like get over ground. She is tall and long but most of her luck as been poor come raceday.
"She got held up in the Wyong Magic Millions on debut then won at Canterbury before she just found too many troubles in the Magic Millions. I think she should have won that [even though she ran fifth]."
Perignon cost $350,000 as a yearling and her two most recent starts have been group 2 seconds to Speak Fondly. She was photo finished in the Magic Night Stakes to end her two-year-old year before returning by gunning home late in the Furious Stakes.
"We were very happy with her return in the Furious and she has gone forward from that and getting to 1400m will suit her," Ryan said,
"Hughie [Bowman] came back and said she is ready to step up in trip and I think she is going to like the tempo and extra trip. To see Speak Fondly run last week [in the Golden Rose] and run well has only added to our confidence."
Perignon races in the Damion Flower silks for his wife Camilla and Sylvana Surace, who will also have another Snitzel filly, Suspenders .
"She is a nice type as well and is going to the Randwick two-year-old [barrier] trials on Monday and we will find out a lot more about her," Ryan said.
