Perignon Ready To Win Light Fingers Stakes

Perignon will return to the races in the 2016 Light Fingers Stakes and trainer Gerald Ryan is confident that the talented filly is forward enough to win the Group 2 event at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Perignon (inside) was only narrowly denied a maiden Group 1 victory in the 2016 Flight Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart

Perignon (inside) was only narrowly denied a maiden Group 1 victory in the 2016 Flight Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart

Perignon has only recorded one race win since she started her racing career with a fourth place finish behind Zoutenant in the Wyong Magic Millions Classic (1100m) in December of 2014, but she generally raced against top competition as a two-year-old and she finished a close second behind Speak Fondly in the Group 2 Magic Night Stakes (1200m) last year.

She made her debut as a three-year-old with another second place finish behind Speak Fondly in the Group 2 Furious Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on September 5 and she struggled on a slow track in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) at the same venue on September 19 before she proved she could be competitive at the highest level of racing when she finished a close third behind Speak Fondly and Honesta in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) on October 3.

Perignon was sent to the spelling paddock following the Flight Stakes and Ryan believes that she has returned from her break from racing as a much stronger filly and goes into the 2016 Light Fingers Stakes as a genuine winning chance.

“She has come back really well and is very much a stronger filly now than she was in the spring,” Ryan told Racing Ahead.

“She is a lot more relaxed.

“Her three runs in the spring were good and she went out not gutted.

“She ran terrific first-up, ran fifth on a heavy track and then I took the blinkers off and she ran really good in the Flight Stakes.

“She went out and spelled good and she has come back really good.

“She is going really well.”

Ryan is yet to determine the 2016 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival goal for Perignon, but she has been included in the nominations for the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m), Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m).

The 2016 Light Fingers Stakes field was released this morning and Perignon is set to take on Thousand Guineas winner Stay With Me, Tea Rose Stakes winner Pearls, Gai Waterhouse-trained Harlem River, consistent filly Tempt Me Not, last start winner Kangarilla Joy, boom filly Ghisoni and Thomas Elmes-trained Perasino.

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.