'Perfect' Scores First in Kingston Town
Description:
Perfect Reflection beat champion and stablemate Delicacy to the finish in the Aus$1 million Kingston Town Classic (Aus-I) Dec. 5 at Ascot and became the first 3-year-old filly to win Australia's final top-level race of 2015.
The pair, trained by Grant Williams, drew clear of the 14 rivals in the stretch before Perfect Reflection thrust out her head to get the win and stay unbeaten in five career starts. Dark Musket was 4 1/2 lengths adrift in third, and Neverland was another three-quarter-lengths back in fourth.
Perfect Reflection, a daughter of Central Kentucky-based sire More Than Ready , won a third successive stakes and first in a group I while defeating older males and completing the 1,800 meters (about 1 1/8 miles) in 1:53.78 on turf rated as heavy.
As expected Hazzabeel charged to the early lead, with Real Love, Magic Artist, and Bass Strait hard on his heels and Perfect Reflection and Delicacy stalking. Not until the pack swung into the stretch and fanned out did the serious challengers emerge; Hazzabeel and Bass Strait ran out of puff and faded.
Race favorite Perfect Reflection, ridden by William Pike, and Balmont Girl were first to break free, with Perfect Reflection making headway. Delicacy, last season's champion 3-year-old filly, came flying along with 151-1 shot Dark Musket and Neverland but Perfect Reflection hung on for the win.
Perfect Reflection, like Delicacy, is a Peters Investments homebred. She came in with back to back victories in the Belgravia Stakes Oct. 21 and W.A. Champion Fillies Stakes (Aus-III) Nov. 14.
Western Australian Oaks (Aus-II) winner Reflected Image is the dam of Perfect Reflection, a full sister to stakes winners New Image and Ideal Image and a half sister to stakes winner Elusive Image.