OAK TREE: WILD RIDE FOR HORSE, TRAINER PLEASANTLY PERFECT COMING ON.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer ARCADIA - ``From Claimers to the Classic in Three Easy Lessons.'' That could be the title of Richard Mandella's book if Pleasantly Perfect Pleasantly Perfect (born April 2, 1998 in Lexington, Kentucky) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who retired as the fourth richest American horse in career earnings. A son of Pleasant Colony, winner of the 1981 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, he was out of the mare Regal State who carries out the trainer's ambitious plan by winning the Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. at Arlington Park Arlington Park is a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region has been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks (six) than any other major in Chicago on Oct. 26. Two races back, 4-year-old Pleasantly Perfect was running in the optional-claiming ranks. Last time out, the colt was running a better-than-expected fourth in the Pacific Classic. Sunday afternoon, he became a stakes winner for the first time when he and jockey Alex Solis Alex O. Solis (born March 25, 1964 in Panama City, Panama) is a jockey based in the United States. He currently lives in Glendora, California and rides predominantly in Southern California. He first gained national prominence when he won the 1986 Preakness Stakes with Snow Chief. caught pacesetter Reba's Gold in the homestretch home·stretch n. 1. The portion of a racetrack from the last turn to the finish line. 2. Informal The final stages of an undertaking. Noun 1. and beat favored Momentum by 3 1/4 lengths in the $500,000 Goodwood Handicap
The Goodwood Handicap is a Group 1 Australian thoroughbred open handicap horse race, run over a distance of 1200 metres at Morphettville at Santa Anita Santa Anita may refer to:
And now, suddenly, the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic, the richest and often the strongest thoroughbred race of the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. season, is on the class schedule for a horse Mandella has called ``a big, dumb colt.'' It's a quick climb up a steep ladder, a lot to ask of the son of 1981 Kentucky Derby winner Pleasant Colony who didn't start until May of his 3-year-old season after a fever affected his heart rhythm. ``But we're going to ask,'' said Mandella, who had a big afternoon here Sunday, also saddling The Tin Man to win the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship. ``He (Pleasantly Perfect) is a big, healthy, hardy horse, and racing does him good. We're hoping it'll do him some more good.'' Pleasantly Perfect, the fans' second choice, paid $9.40 for a $2 win bet. His time of 1:46.80 for 1 1/8 miles was .08 seconds off the Goodwood Handicap record set by Bertrando in 1994. The Goodwood has been a strong prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic, sending Tiznow on to victory each of the past two years. Because injuries have weakened the likely Breeders' Cup Classic field, leaving Medaglia d'Oro the favorite by default, this might be a good year for a late bloomer such as Pleasantly Perfect. ``There's no truly outstanding horse out there right now,'' jockey Alex Solis said, ``and he's coming on at the right time.' Pleasantly Perfect has won four of nine career starts and earned nearly $500,000 in purses for owner Gerald Ford of Dallas. It was that fourth-place finish behind Came Home in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar in August that told Mandella what he had. ``I thought it was very impressive,'' Mandella said. ``He ran up behind a wall of horses at the quarter pole - six, seven horses, it looked like a turf race - and he had no choice but to go to the outside fence.'' This could be Mandella's strongest hand for a Breeders' Cup since he trained winners (in the Turf) and Phone Chatter (in the Juvenile Fillies) in 1993 at Santa Anita. In addition to Pleasantly Perfect in the Classic, Mandella plans to have Hirsch winner The Tin Man in the $2 million Turf, and Norfolk Stakes third-place Listen Indy in the $1 million Juvenile. The Tin Man ($7) and jockey Mike Smith led from start to finish Sunday to upset Sarafan by a length. On the last weekend of major Breeders' Cup preps, Smith had a day to match Mandella's, riding favored Composure ($4.60) to beat Buffythecenterfold by three lengths in the $200,000 Oak Leaf Stakes The Oak Leaf Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses restricted to two-year-old fillies and thus is a major prep race for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Grade I race is held at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track at Santa Anita Park's Oak Tree for 2-year-old fillies. Composure joins Santa Catarina in trainer Bob Baffert's plans for the $1 million Juvenile Fillies. As things stand, Santa Anita-prepped horses are favorites in two of the eight Breeders' Cup races: Azeri, winner of the Lady's Secret at Santa Anita on Wednesday, in the $1 million Distaff, and Golden Apples, winner of the Yellow Ribbon on Saturday, in the $1 million Filly & Mare Turf. In other Breeders' Cup-related races Sunday: Ireland-trained Landseer and Edgar Prado edged Touch of the Blues and Kent Desormeaux as favored Beat Hollow was third in Keeneland's Turf Mile in Kentucky, a steppingstone step·ping·stone n. 1. A stone that provides a place to step, as in crossing a stream. 2. An advantageous position for advancement toward a goal. for the $1 million Mile. Take Charge Lady and Prado bested You and Desormeaux in Keeneland's Spinster SPINSTER. An addition given, in legal writings, to a woman who never was married. Lovel. on Wills, 269. , a Distaff prep. Godolphin-owned Marienbard and Frankie Dettori beat Sulamani and High Chaparral in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomph in France, and he'll run next in the Turf or the Japan Cup. |
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