from Turfway Park
Multimillionaire Perfect Drift will return to Turfway Park one more time for congratulations and honors as he begins his retirement with a special celebration and ceremony Sept. 27 as part of festivities surrounding the Kentucky Cup Day of Champions.
Perfect Drift, 9, was bred and campaigned throughout his career by Stonecrest Farm, the Kansas City, Mo., breeding and racing operation of Dr. William A. Reed, a cardiovascular surgeon who now chairs the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases at Kansas University Hospital in Kansas City, Kan.
“The whole family has enjoyed a wonderful experience with Perfect Drift for the past nine years,” said Reed, who will be on hand for the ceremony. “ ‘Drift’ was foaled in Kentucky but grew up here on our farm. This is just a new time in his life.”
It will be a homecoming of sorts for the bay gelding, a son of Dynaformer out of the Naskra mare Nice Gal. Perfect Drift broke his maiden at Turfway and won the Lane’s End Stakes (gr. II) and Kentucky Cup Classic (gr. II) at the Kentucky track.
“He established his reputation and fan base at Turfway Park, so it seemed appropriate that he would return to his racing home for his retirement,” Reed said.
Perfect Drift will be led to the paddock by his longtime groom, Richard Anderson, and exercise rider, Mike Bowlds. After a brief presentation, Murray Johnson, who trained Perfect Drift for all but his last four races, will saddle him to lead this year’s Classic field onto the track.
The Classic is the 10th race on a 12-race program that begins at 1:10 p.m. EDT.
Perfect Drift consistently raced at the highest levels across his eight-year career. In 50 career starts, he posted 11 wins, 14 seconds, and seven thirds, and earned $4,714,213. He won seven graded stakes and was graded stakes-placed in 14 others. He competed in five consecutive editions of the Breeders’ Cup Classic; he finished third in 2005.
Perfect Drift was nominated for this year’s Kentucky Cup Classic, but his retirement was announced about a week before the race.
