Of all the new season two-year-olds who have been through Gerald Ryan’s Rosehill stables so far this year, he wouldn’t have bet in early August that Perle De Chocolat would be his first juvenile runner of 2024-25.

Perle De Chocolat
Ryuzo Kaimoto-owned Perle De Chocolat will have her first start on Saturday. (Photo: Inglis)

But horses have a way of surprising people - and defying their pedigrees - and the more Ryan asked of Perle De Chocolat, the more his young Classics-bred daughter of Astern delivered.

For that reason, Perle De Chocolat will line up in Saturday’s Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes at Randwick, one of 19 fillies to have accepted for the $250,000 season-opening two-year-old race.

“If you'd asked me two months ago that might have been your first two-year-old runner, I would not have said her, but she's just coped very well, she copped everything right, she's got a great attitude, eats her feed, there’s plenty of strength about her and she moves well,” the experienced Ryan said. 

“So, I thought while she was up and going, that we’d keep going and have a crack at this race and then tip her out."

Making it to the trials is one thing, coming out of them and getting to the races on the first Saturday in October is another, but Ryan says his filly “has improved heaps”.

Perle De Chocolat, who was ridden by Tyler Schiller in the barrier trial but has Josh Parr on board on Saturday, showed speed to lead her trial, won by Gimcrack rival Strada Varenna, but Ryan suggests she’s not one-dimensional.  

“She'd had two jump outs prior to going there and I don't know what she was up against, but she'd won them both,” he said. 

“I know she’s jumped and led in a jump out but in another she sat back behind them and hit the line. 

“We've worked with horses like that from in front and from behind and she's pretty tractable, she does everything right.”

Perle De Chocolat’s expected debut in the Gimcrack is significant because she is the first horse raced in Australia by her Japanese owner Ryuzo Kaimoto’s R Unicorn Stable. 

The same black, white, yellow and blue colours have also featured in other countries around the world including on US Grade 1 winner Macadamia (replay below). He also owns the Philip D’Amato-trained Che Evasara who could run in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar in November.

It was Inglis and Sydney-based Japanese bloodstock agent Satomi Oka who encouraged Kaimoto to visit Australia - and the Classic sale. He had not been to Australia before, but he duly took up the invitation and he obliged by buying Perle De Chocolat for $120,000 on the recommendation of Oka.

Out of a French-bred stakes-placed mare who won from 1600m to 1800m and by a sire whose two Group 1 winners - Golden Mile and Affaire A Suivre - have been at three in a Caulfield Guineas and an Australasian Oaks, Perle De Chocolat fitted the criteria as a yearling for Oka and Kaimoto.

Oka was as surprised as anyone that the filly had been mature enough to make it to the Gimcrack.

“I wasn't thinking she’d be this early when I picked her out, but she did look athletic and I guess she wasn't a heavy horse,” Oka said. 

“I picked her because the breeder wanted 1600m-plus horse for future breeding and … with her pedigree and scope I thought she would go 1600 metres.

“It was the very first time for (R Unicorn Stable) racing horses in Australia, so I did want them to have a relatively early start, so that they can enjoy having horses in Australia.”

“I wasn't thinking she’d be this early when I picked her out, but she did look athletic and I guess she wasn't a heavy horse." - Satomi Oka

Kaimoto also bought a 50 per cent share in the $420,000 North Pacific half-sister to this year’s Inglis Millennium winner Fully Lit later in the Classic sale in partnership with the Rising Sun Syndicate. She is being trained by Ciaron Maher.

Ryan and his training partner Sterling Alexiou are familiar with Perle De Chocolat’s family, preparing her sister Lovero to win four races including last start at Warwick Farm on September 25. 

“Her full sister at Levero, she had really good ability early but she didn't have the attitude of this filly and this filly is also a lot bigger,” the trainer said. 

Perle De Chocolat’s stablemates Just Party runs in the Dulcify and Arctic Glamour will contest the Group 1 Epsom Handicap.

Arctic Glamour is backing up after finishing third in the Golden Pendant last Saturday, her third start from a spell.

“(The Epsom) wasn't on the radar until after she ran in the Tramway and that we’d have 50 kilos on her back,” he said. 

“She meets them well at the weights, although she's not winning in this class, she's got good performances or competitive performances behind horses that are favourites in the race.” 

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