Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series: Pleasantly Perfect

Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series
Number 9: Pleasantly Perfect

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the next installment of the occasional series that features those somewhat forgotten thoroughbreds who did not win any championship but ran exceptionally well and under different circumstances might have garnered awards. This issue discusses my ninth ranked Pleasantly Perfect.

Pleasantly Perfect winning the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic
breederscup.com

He was foaled in 1998 and sold as a yearling for $725,000 to Diamond A Racing Corporation. Pleasantly Perfect’s sales price was no doubt a reflection of his strong breeding being a son of double classic winner Pleasant Colony and the European stakes winning mare Regal State. An additional factor that contributed to his lofty cost was the bay colt’s imposing size and physical presence. Diamond A Racing’s owner, Gerald Ford (no, not the 38^th U.S. president) placed Pleasantly Perfect under the care of trainer Richard Mandella. If there were hopes for early precocity, they were dashed by the son of Pleasant Colony not making his first start till late May of his sophomore year at Hollywood Park as a result of a virus inflaming his heart. Still experiencing the effects of the virus, Pleasantly Perfect’s first effort was a disaster with the colt being eased up and not finishing the race.

Given additional time to recover, Pleasantly Perfect resumed his racing career in earnest in January 2002 at Santa Anita Park. Somewhat backward, the bay colt did not win his first race till his third start of the year. After a second and two subsequent allowance race victories, Pleasantly Perfect made his initial stakes appearance in Del Mar Racetrack’s signature race - the Pacific Classic Stakes in August. Facing some of the best horses of 2002, the Richard Mandella trainee (at odds 17-1) closed determinedly in the stretch to finish fourth beaten only a total of 2¾ lengths.

Recognizing that Pleasantly Perfect was competitive against top horses, Mandella ran his four-year-old in the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita Park, a key West Coast prep for the year end Breeders’ Cup Classic. In the Goodwood, Pleasantly Perfect, won his first stakes race with an impressive come from behind victory by 3¼ lengths. Considered now a solid contender for the Classic, Pleasantly Perfect was unable to compete due to an Illinois rule (the Breeders’ Cup was run at Arlington Park this year), that prohibits a two time “bleeder” from racing for 30 days after the second bleeding episode. Pleasantly Perfect had bled after a workout in February and was reported to have had a second discharge from his nostrils after his Goodwood victory.

Not raced the remainder of 2002, the hulking son of Pleasant Colony began his five-year-old campaign in the early part of 2003 at Santa Anita finishing third in the San Antonio and fourth in the Santa Anita Handicaps. Having another extended absence due to soreness, Pleasantly Perfect returned to the races in the fall of 2003 scoring a repeat victory in the Goodwood Stakes.

This year the Breeders’ Cup championship races were run at Santa Anita, and Pleasantly Perfect was amongst the entries for the Classic. The 2003 edition had a competitive field of ten that included the first two finishers of the 2002 edition, Volponi and Medaglia d’Oro, respectively, dual classic winner Funny Cide, Travers Stakes winner Ten Most Wanted, and major older horses Congaree and Perfect Drift. Medaglia d’Oro was sent off the favorite in the 1¼ mile race with Ten Most Wanted the second choice and Perfect Drift the third betting favorite. Pleasantly Perfect, despite sensational workouts, was a gross overlay at 14-1.

For most of the Classic, it appeared to be a match race between Congaree and Medaglia d’Oro as both their riders allowed them to duel head-and-head around the Santa Anita oval carving out a demanding pace. In the stretch, they were still fighting their private battle when jockey Alex Solis had Pleasantly Perfect, eighth in the early running, in full flight. The powerful son of Pleasant Colony passed the leaders in deep stretch and drove to a 1½ length triumph. Medaglia d’Oro got the better of Congaree finishing second (again) ¾ of a length in front of late running Dynever. Congaree weakened from his efforts to finish fourth, a neck behind.

Pleasantly Perfect’s Classic victory was a great satisfaction to Mandella, who believed the horse was ready to win last year’s edition only to be denied entry. It was also a testimony to the patience of Gerald Ford to allow the trainer to develop a horse who was a maiden as a four-year-old in 2002 into a Breeders’ Classic winner. The day belonged to Richard Mandella in winning an unprecedented, and so far not replicated, four Breeders’ Cup races. As telecast announcer Tom Durkin exclaimed as Pleasantly Perfect crossed the finish line, “Man oh Mandella, what a day”.

However, championship honors eluded Pleasantly Perfect in 2003. His campaign was considered too light, and Mineshift who was retired prior to the Breeders’ Cup took both Older Male and Horse of the Year Eclipse Awards.

Pleasantly Perfect was kept in training as a six-year-old and made his initial 2004 start in the San Antonio Handicap. His Breeders’ Cup Classic rival Congaree was favored in the short four horse field, the thinking that he would have a pace advantage. However, Congaree never showed his vaunted speed and retreated in the stretch to finish last. Pleasantly Perfect was never far behind in the San Antonio, and, when called upon, drew clear powerfully for a 4 length victory. A slight fever prevented Pleasantly Perfect from running in the Santa Anita Handicap, but Richard Mandella had his charge soon back in training and on schedule for a trip in March to the Middle East for what was then the world’s richest race -  the $6 million 1¼ mile Dubai World Cup.

The race was anticipated as the rematch of Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia d’Oro who finished first and second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. And true to form, the race came down as a pulsating stretch duel between these two protagonists. Medaglia d’Oro had stalked pacesetter Fleetstreet Dancer until the top of the long homestretch when Jerry Bailey brought him to the fore. Alex Solis had Pleasantly Perfect in fourth place on the inside early but had his mount come to the outside for the stretch drive. Ranging alongside Medaglia d’Oro, Pleasantly Perfect dueled head and head with his rival until the last 50 yards when the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner’s stamina prevailed, winning by ¾ of a length. For Richard Mandella, this was his first Dubai World Cup victory after failing in six previous attempts. (The triumph was also bittersweet in that Mandella had learned moments after the race of the death of his close friend and fellow trainer, Lefty Nickerson.)

Now considered the leader in the older males division on dirt and prime candidate for Horse of the Year, Pleasantly Perfect was given a rest after his Dubai effort and did not return to the races till August. Pleasantly Perfect resumed racing at Del Mar on August 1 in the San Diego Handicap. He had at least three factors to overcome: the long layoff from the Dubai World Cup, a new rider in Mike Smith (subbing for injured Alex Solis), and the relatively short 8½ furlong distance of the race. Despite these obstacles, at the top of the stretch, the son of Pleasant Colony appeared on his way for a convincing victory as he assumed command. However, Pleasantly Perfect was passed in deep stretch by Choctaw Nation, who at the time was undefeated in his first 5 starts. There was a 10 lb. advantage in the winner’s favor and the ¾ of a length margin was close, but it was presumed a horse of Pleasantly Perfect’s caliber should have won.

The principals of the San Diego Handicap met again in the Pacific Classic under equal weights at 1¼ miles. Now ridden by Jerry Bailey, Pleasantly Perfect, sat behind the early pace, made his characteristic move around the far turn. Gaining the lead in the upper stretch, he was aggressively ridden by Bailey to hold off the reliable gelding, Perfect Drift’s late charge to prevail by a length. This time, Choctaw Nation’s closing rally could only gain him fourth place.

After his Pacific Classic victory, Pleasantly Perfect was trained up to his defense of the Breeders’ Cup Classic which was run this year at Lone Star Park located in Grand Prairie, Texas. While his was toiling in California, a new threat emerged in the east in the presence of Frank Stronach’s Ghostzapper. The four-year-old son of Awesome Again had amazed observers with his brilliant speed that he was able to carry to win 9 furlong races such as the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park and the Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park.

The big news prior to the Breeders’ Cup Classic was the decision to run the champion mare Azeri. Despite, her towering reputation, the task seemed formidable as she was facing Pleasantly Perfect, Ghostzapper, Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone, Funny Cide, and the up and coming Roses in May in the thirteen horse field.

Visions of a speed duel between Azeri, Ghostzapper, and Roses in May seemed to favor the closers, namely Pleasantly Perfect and Birdstone. However, that was not how the Classic transpired due to some pre-race tactics. Reportedly Bobby Frankel, trainer of Ghostzapper, convinced Ken Ramsey, owner of Roses in May, to give instructions to hold his horse off the pace of Ghostzapper if Azeri did not go to the front. In Frankel’s words, “If we lay first and second and the jockeys keep them slow and don’t kill each other trying for the lead, they’ll finish one-two”. Apparently, interested in winning the exacta, Ramsey agreed with this strategy, and that is how the race was run. Ghostzapper from his no. 1 post was guided to the lead by jockey Javier Castellano. Azeri, broke a little slowly but secured an inside position behind Ghostzapper. Roses in May cruised to be second down the backstretch tracking Ghostzapper’s moderate pace. Around the far turn, Castellano called on Ghostzapper, and he slowly drew away from Roses in May. Pleasantly Perfect had launched a bid from tenth place but had to come very wide in the stretch losing considerable ground. At the finish, Ghostzapper was 3 lengths in front of Roses In May who had 4 lengths on Pleasantly Perfect who gained the show position ¾ of a length in front of Perfect Drift. Azeri, in her final start, was fifth.

At year’s end, Ghostzapper, although having only a four race campaign that did not begin till the second half of the year, was voted Champion Older Male Horse and Horse of the Year. Pleasantly Perfect, despite winning early in the year and victorious in the Dubai World Cup, was again denied a championship being the victim as I see it of a tight turned, speed favoring racetrack (with some collusion on racing tactics) at Lone Star Park.

Pleasantly Perfect was retired to stud in 2005 at Lane’s End Farm in Lexington, KY. His racing record reads 9 wins in 18 starts and over $7.7 million in earnings. Despite siring a Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner in Shared Account and a top class sprinter in Whitmore, Pleasantly Perfect was exported to Turkey in 2014.  An update on Pleasantly Perfect’s genetic influence is that Shared Account is the dam of Sharing would just won the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf, making her a third generation Breeders’ Cup victor.