Promising filly Blue Door set to tackle the boys in Rosebud

Jockey Rachel King sees a reflection of herself in the untapped filly Blue Door, drawing parallels between their competitive natures.

The Bjorn Baker-trained three-year-old is gearing up for her seasonal return in the Listed Rosebud (1100m) this Saturday. Her debut performance saw her defeat the promising colt The Next Episode in the Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) in April.

She enters the race as one of the least experienced and likely smallest competitors in the field.

King, whose own petite frame doesn't impede her effectiveness on the racetrack, believes Blue Door's size won't be a disadvantage. She is confident the filly's feisty attitude will help her navigate the expected congestion in the full field of 16 runners.

"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 decided against continuing Blue Door's campaign after her initial victory, choosing instead to allow her more time to mature.

King believes this was a wise decision, noting the filly has developed and physically improved 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."

Historically, only two fillies have claimed victory in the Rosebud since its inception in the current format in 2011: She's A Fox in 2012 and Tiz Invincible in 2023.

Many trainers prefer to target the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) against their own sex a week later. However, eight fillies were paid up for Saturday's renewal, with Blue Door installed as the $3.90 favourite on Thursday.

King is also slated to ride Savvy Diamond for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the three-year-old benchmark race. Although she didn't ride the filly in her debut win at Goulburn, King did give her a 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."

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