Peter Knuckey gives Baby Paris tick of approval
Experienced jockey Peter Knuckey believes Baby Paris has the weapons to take the next step onto bigger goals after she landed a career-best win at Belmont on Saturday.
Baby Paris won the Black Heart Bart Stakes (1200m) in a thriller, chasing down the leader and race favourite, Phanta to win by a long-head, claiming her first Listed success after 11 starts.
Peter Knuckey has formed a great alliance with Baby Paris, partnering the daughter of Playing God to five of her six career victories and holds an important assessment on ambitious plans ahead.
The Colin Webster-trained Baby Paris will be aimed at the $1.5 million Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) at Ascot in December after bouncing back in the Black Heart Bart Stakes.
The talented four-year-old atoned and revealed her class after a luckless eighth behind Long Beach at her previous start when first up in the Jolly Beggar Stakes (1000m).
Knuckey is quietly confident Baby Paris can continue to mix it at higher levels against stronger opposition at the upcoming Ascot carnival.
“You sort of have to head that way and it would be very valuable if she could run top three in that race (Winterbottom Stakes),” Knuckey said on Tabradio.
“That’s everybody’s dream, it’s worth $1.5 million and it’s a Group 1.
“I know we are just coming off a Listed race at Belmont, but she’s a winner.
“She’s won six out of 11, she’s a winner, why not have a go at it.
“That’s the dream and if you can pull it off or run a place, it’s going to be very valuable to her.”
Knuckey said permission from stewards to take Baby Paris out early and go around with the clerk of the course helped her chances in the Black Heart Bart.
“She relaxed good and loaded well,” Knuckey said.
“It kept her heart rate down so she wasn’t getting all excited prior to going to the barriers.
“She wasn’t wasting any energy as well and we obviously needed that energy at the end of the race.”
Baby Paris won the $200,000 The Tabtouch Joey (1200m) at Ascot in April and ran second to boom mare Amelia’s Jewel in the 2022 Karrakatta Plate (1200m).
A homebred for Kalgoorlie trainer, Gary Bowen, she has collected $464,830 in prizemoney and $151,250 in bonuses since her win on debut.
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