Perfect Drift , a thoroughbred race horse born on April 29, 1999 in Kentucky, seems like a throw-back to sturdier, hardier, more consistent days when a horse could run for years at the top of his or her form, and come in the money more often than not.
The Perfect Trouper
Year in and year out, no matter what other race horses come and go, strutting for an hour or so in the sun, the classic bay Perfect Drift just keeps racing. He's won on dirt. He's won on turf. He's won going long and going short, at distances ranging from 6 1/2 furlongs to 1 and a quarter miles. He's raced on at least 12 different tracks, and recorded Beyer Speed Figures of 100 or more on many occasions...sometimes 110 or better.
By Dynaformer out of Nice Gal (by Naskra), the gelding is owned by Stonecrest Farm, bred by the Kansas City heart surgeon, Dr. William A. Reed (owner of Stonecrest), and trained by Murray Johnson. Johnson is an Australian, born and bred, but long ago relocated to Kentucky following his trade. He's trained Perfect Drift throughout his entire career at his own 55-acre Trackside Stable in Louisville, Kentucky. Now ten years old, Johnson has started Perfect Drift 44 times. The gelding has won 11 of those starts, placed in 13, and come in third six times. This means he's been in the money in thirty of his races, or for approximately 75 percent of those starts.
Like the Old Timers
As a three-year-old in 2002, he won the Grade II Spiral Stakes, the Grade III Indiana Derby (by 2006, this became a Grade II event), the Turfway Prevue Stakes, and came home second in the WEBN Frog Stakes, the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, and ran third in the Kentucky Derby. That was the year War Emblem won the Derby and the Preakness. Perfect Drift's Derby was marred by being checked by War Emblem and forced to alter course to the outside. This allowed Proud Citizen to take second, but Perfect Drift still took third, ahead of Medaglia d'Oro, Harlan's Holiday, Essence of Dubai, and Saarland, all excellent runners.
In 2003, with War Emblem already retired for lucrative stallion duties in Japan, four-year-old Perfect Drift won the Grade I Stephen Foster Handicap, the Grade II Washington Park Handicap, the Grade II Kentucky Cup Classic Handicap, and the Grade II Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap.
When he was five, he placed in the Grade I Whitney Handicap, the Pacific Classic Stakes, his second Hawthorne Gold Cup, the Grade III Cornhusker Breeders' Cup Handicap, the Aleysheba Stakes, and was third in the Clark Handicap and his second Stephen Foster.
At six, he took the Washington Park Handicap for the second time (and setting a new record as he did so), was again second in the Grade I Pacific Classic Stakes, and second in his third Stephen Foster, second in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Classic, and second in his second Clark Handicap.
At seven, he'd run in his fourth Stephen Foster, placing, his third Washington Park Handicap, again placing, and his second Kentucky Cup Classic, also placing. In this last race, up against the five year old Lava Man, Perfect Drift had a terrible race. As described by most reporters, "...the entire race was a mess from start to finish." That Perfect Drift managed a fast closing second after being boxed in for most of the going, only attests to his skill and determination.
He's run in five straight Breeders' Cup Classics, finishing third in 2005, and fourth in 2004. In 2006, he was unplaced. On November 7th, 2006, his trainer, Murray Johnson, announced that he believed a breathing problem hindered Perfect Drift's run in the Classic. A post-race examination showed he suffered from chondritis, which limits air intake. "He couldn't get his air, basically," said Johnson. "It's caused from a virus. They breathe all right for a while and it doesn't affect the functions of the throat. But when they become tired, they just can't get the air."
For two years, Perfect Drift went back into the Clark Handicap after the Classic, but in 2006 Johnson skipped that race. "I think we'll just make sure his throat's all right." In some press reports, the condition is being called Costochondritis. In any case it is an inflammation of the cartilage that attaches the front of the ribs to the breastbone.
At the age of seven, the gelding earned $370,293 over the course of 2006. Johnson called it "...a great year, a lot of fun, although it wasn't our best year. I don't see any reason why we won't be back next year to try it again."
Perfect Drift has been ridden by a dozen or so jockeys, including Hall of Famers Eddie Delahoussaye, Pat Day and Gary Stevens, all now retired. Day was up for his big wins, guiding Perfect Drift to four graded victories in 2003: the Stephen Foster Handicap, the Washington Park Handicap, the Kentucky Cup Classic, and the Hawthorne Gold Cup. In 2007, Jon Court will be in the saddle for the $250,000 Grade II Californian Stakes at Hollywood Park.
Knock knock knocking on the Breeders Cup Door
Perfect Drift has run in 19 Grade I races. In 2006, the hard-knocking warrior who has always raced at the top of the sport took another shot at the Breeder's Cup Classic under the leading jockey, Garrett Gomez (who rode two Breeders' Cup World Championship winners in 2005). He has now tied Sprint winner Kona Gold as the only horse to make five starts in a Breeders' Cup event and the first horse to start that many times in the Classic.
To date (May 11, 2007), Perfect Drift (now 8 years old with no sign of retiring) has won $4,679,185. This makes him the richest active racehorse in North America and ranks him at No. 11 all time.
References
- Perfect Drift's pedigree - http://www.pedigreequery.com/perfect+drift
- A page of photos - http://www.teamroo.com/perfectdrift.htm
- NTRA bio - http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=18544
- Perfect Drift's Classic Pedigree Profile - http://bc.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=35740
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