ROUNDUP: PLEASANTLY PERFECT WINS.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer ARCADIA - Richard Mandella Richard Mandella (born November 5, 1950 in Beaumont, California) is a Thoroughbred horse trainer and a member of the Racing Hall of Fame. Mandella's father, a blacksmith, introduced him to horses at an early age and while still in high school he began breaking and training would have been happy to see the same old Pleasantly Perfect. Instead, the trainer was elated to watch a new, improved version of 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. winner take an unfamiliar path to a San Antonio Handicap The San Antonio Handicap is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park each year. The race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. The Grade II event offers a purse of $250,000. Round Table won this race in 1958. victory at Santa Anita on Saturday. Uncharacteristically close to a quick early pace, Pleasantly Perfect carried jockey Alex Solis to the lead turning into 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 pulled away to a four-length win as heavily favored Congaree faded to last in a four-horse field in the 2004 debut for both stars. Front-runners Star Cross and Fleetstreet Dancer finished second and third. ``It's nice to know he can do that,'' Mandella said of 6-year-old Pleasantly Perfect, who never was more than two lengths behind the leader in the San Antonio after rallying from seven lengths back in his Breeders' Cup Classic upset at Santa Anita in October. ``My horse is a different horse. He's getting smarter and stronger all the time, and he put himself right into the race.'' On a day of sharp clockings, Pleasantly Perfect covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.25, the fastest running of the $250,000 San Antonio in 12 years. He paid $5.80 and exceeded $3 million in career earnings with his seventh victory in 14 starts. Mandella and owner Jerry Ford of Dallas indicated Pleasantly Perfect would race next in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during on March 6, the $6 million Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The race is operated through the Emirates Horse Racing Authority (EHRA) whose Chairman is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on March 27 or both. The future is less clear for Congaree after the 6-year-old, runner-up to Mineshaft mine·shaft n. A vertical or sloping passageway made in the earth for finding or mining ore and ventilating underground excavations. Noun 1. in 2003 Horse of the Year voting and a 2-5 favorite Saturday, bombed in a race some thought he would dominate from the start. --P-Val update: On the 10th day since Pat Valenzuela went AWOL, Santa Anita officials still had not heard from the Southern California circuit's leading jockey of 2003, steward Tom Ward said Saturday. Valenzuela, who has fought a nearly career-long battle with drug problems, is under suspension for missing a mandatory drug test Jan. 23. He skipped his mounts the day before, saying he had sprained an ankle at home. Kevin Modesti, (818) 713-3616 kevin.modesti(at)dailynews.com |
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