Prolific owner Bob Peters did not have long to stew on the disappointment of Royal Star being withdrawn at the barriers in the Tattersalls Cup when that filly's sister Perfect Jewel captured the $500,000 Group II Sky Racing - W.A. Guineas (1600m) at Ascot on Saturday.
One of just two fillies in the race, Perfect Jewel was three wide with cover for Willie Pike and did not shirk the task in the straight. She was strong to the line defeating Achernar Star (Gingerbread Man) by three-quarters of a length with Art Series (Sebring) a length back in third.
Winner of the Listed Belgravia Stakes on October 28, the daughter of Redoute's Choice advances her record to 4 wins from 5 starts with earnings of $432,280.
"The ups and downs of racing. Her full sister gets pulled out at the barrier and this filly draws barrier 16 and still wins, how do you handle that," Bob Peters said.
"I've always liked her and Royal Star, they are nice fillies and it's just wonderful to see you can do it from this barrier. One of the best horses I owned, Old Spice, drew 16 and got beaten a lip.
"We resisted the temptation to run her in the Champion Fillies and kept her three weeks till this one and it worked."
Bob Peters won the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic in 2015 with the 3yo filly Perfect Reflection but was non-committal about Perfect Jewel following a similar path.
"It just depends on how she pulls up. She will tell us," he said.
"With Perfect Reflection, I left it three weeks between runs and that worked and it also worked with this filly today so maybe the two weeks will be a bit difficult but if she pulls up well there's not much left for her. "
Perfect Jewel is the latest star for the Listed stakes winner Star Encounter (Jeune) who placed in the WA Oaks, WA Derby and Strickland Stakes on the way to compiling a record of eight wins and seven placings from 30 starts with earnings of $563,090.
Her first three foals are all stakes winners. Her first foal Star Exhibit (Statue Of Liberty) is the winner of three stakes races highlighted by the Group II Perth Cup while Perfect Jewels full-sister Royal Star won the Listed Natasha Stakes back in March before finishing second in the WA Oaks.
After missing to Redoute's Choice in 2014, Star Encounter has a yearling colt by Statue Of Liberty (USA) and a filly foal by that stallion, which was born on November 10.
