Jockey Rachel King has drawn a parallel between her own competitive spirit and that of the promising filly Blue Door.

The Bjorn Baker-trained three-year-old is set to make her seasonal debut in the Listed Rosebud (1100m) this Saturday. Blue Door impressively defeated the highly-regarded colt The Next Episode in her sole start during the Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) back in April.

She is one of the least experienced runners and likely one of the smallest in the field.

However, King, whose own stature belies her fierce competitiveness on the track, believes Blue Door’s diminutive size won’t be a hindrance. She is confident the filly’s temperament will allow her to handle the jostling expected in the large 16-horse field.

“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 chose not to extend Blue Door’s campaign following her maiden win, instead granting her time to mature.

King feels this decision was astute, noting that the filly has developed significantly since her two-year-old season.

“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.”

Since its current format began in 2011, only two fillies have managed to win the Rosebud: She’s A Fox in 2012 and Tiz Invincible in 2023.

Many trainers opt for the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) against their own sex the following week, though eight fillies were nominated for Saturday’s race, and Blue Door was the $3.90 favourite as of Thursday.

King is also scheduled to ride Savvy Diamond for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the three-year-old benchmark race. Despite not riding her in her debut win at Goulburn, King did give her a trial and anticipates she will perform well.

“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.”

For those keen on the action, exploring the latest Australian betting sites could offer competitive odds for the Rosebud.