Girls ready to grab Perth Cup glory
Paula Wagg hopes to become the first woman to train the winner of the $500,000 Golden River Developments Perth Cup (2400m) in nearly 20 years when she saddles glamour mare Balmont Girl in tomorrow's iconic Ascot handicap.
Fran Gannon was the first female to train the winner of the Perth Cup in 1977 with Muros.
Kay Miller repeated the feat with Ullyatt (1986) and then won again with Ros Reef in 1995 in a golden era for the fairer sex, with women trainers preparing the cup winner for three years in succession.
Angela Johnson trained Crying Game to win the WATC Derby on Boxing Day and returned six days later to claim the 1996 cup.
Twelve months later, Wagin trainer Angela Smith rejoiced as Time Frame defied scorching heat to lead throughout and win the 1997 race.
Wagg, the first WA female to become a fully-fledged jockey in 1979, had Kim Angel return home from a Melbourne spring campaign ahead of the 1999 Perth Cup and couldn't have been happier when she won the Towton Cup (2400m) at her first start back at Ascot.
Kim Angel then ran a close third to Old Cobber and Lottila Bay in the weight-for-age Cox Stakes (2400m), but pulled up with heat stress and was spelled.
Kim Angel later raced in Singapore where she won the Singapore Gold Cup for Australian trainer John Meagher in 2000.
Wagg leased Kim Angel with her sister Janice Fyans, but when the lease on the mare expired, her Singaporean owner CT Chua took her back.
Balmont Girl - owned by Cooni Chua, who is also from Singapore, but no relation to CT Chua - indicated a Perth Cup start was on the cards during the autumn when she won the Listed Natasha Stakes (2200m) and Group 3 WA Oaks (2400m).
Like so many classy mares, Balmont Girl has her idiosyncrasies and is a stickler for routine.
"She hears me open the door in the morning and she is alert," Wagg said.
"You have to take her out and go down to the track for her work.
"If you throw out her routine she won't eat her breakfast.
"On race days my track rider Jeff Nixon takes her for a walk and a trot.
"She is very smart because she hears the races and she knows the routine too well."
Wagg was a little surprised by Balmont Girl's sprint early this preparation, her first-up third in the Group 3 Northerly Stakes (1400m) preceding a slashing victory in the Group 3 Asian Beau Stakes (1400m) at her next start.
"She's only had the one run over 2400m and I am not sure that is her pet distance," Wagg said.
"She came back and was thrown straight into open class where she ran really well first-up and Shaun O'Donnell rode a beautiful ride to win the Asian Beau Stakes.
"She has really impressed because she has stepped up in class and distance each time and she has continued to improve.
"I think she can run the distance, but much will depend on how they run it, whether they run it hard or it's a sit-and-sprint.
"I think she is getting better and better all of the time.
"She only turned four in October and she will be a superior mare next year."
I think she is getting better and better ..."Paula Wagg
