Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Pleasantly Perfect


PLEASANTLY PERFECT, b. 1998, didn't do much at all until he was 4 years old. It took him 4 tries to break his maiden, as a four year old, also winning a Grade 2. Then, at 5, he won the Breeders Cup Classic and the Goodwood, with a third in the San Antonio. At 6, he won the Dubai World Cup, the Pacific Classic and the San Antonio, ran second in the San Diego H., and a third in the Breeders Cup Classic. His bankroll when it was all said and done was a tidy sum of $7.8 Million!

He is the daddy of Nonios, Cozi Rosie, My Adonis, Rapid Redux, Setsuko, and his most successful offspring in the U.S. is a daughter, Shared Account, who earned $1.6 Million over two seasons. Retired at the end of 2011, she was booked to Bernardini.

Tough, durable, he is the son of Pleasant Colony who in 1981 won the KY Derby, the Preakness, the Wood, and the Woodward, all Grade 1 races, losing horse of the year honors to John Henry! (Yours truly was on hand for the 1981 Kentucky Derby, as well as the 1980 Kentucky Derby when the filly, Genuine Risk won.  There is a slide show of my trip to see these two races and many of the photos on this blog header are from my trips.)

Who wouldn't want to have a foal from this family? His great grandaddy on his sire's side is the great Ribot; his dam's sire is none other than the last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed. He has no inbreeding through the fifth generation. And this lovely guy stands at Lane's End for a paltry $10,000!

I should have titled this piece, "I just don't get it," because I absolutely just do not get why any buyer would want a yearling or two year old with champagne glass legs, a career that might last 12 months, total, and bypass a chance at a horse that would bring you nothing but sheer fun and joy watching him grow and develop into a mature, race-winning machine!!! This just shows how short-sighted today's buyers are, looking only for the early-maturing, fragile, youngsters that might make it through one season, and then poof, off to the breeding shed to breed more of the same. If I win the lottery, the very first thing I want to do is try to buy one of PP's youngsters and send him/her to Mr. Patience, John Shirreffs! I think that would be nirvana for me!
2003 BREEDERS CUP CLASSIC
Watch as Pleasantly Perfect comes from mid-pack to mow down the leaders, Medaglia d'Oro and Congaree, and win by daylight!


DUBAI WORLD CUP - 2004
Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia battle it out once again in the stretch for a near-photo finish!


2004 PACIFIC CLASSIC
Pleasantly Perfect once again kicks in with a late run to sail over the finish line in front by daylight!

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