Burke's 'project pony' taking Perfect shape
Trainer Nikki Burke’s patience with progressive New Zealand-bred mare Perfect Ten (NZ) (Tavistock) is being rewarded, with the Gr.3 Tesio Stakes (2040m) emerging as a spring target for the six-year-old.
Perfect Ten continued her outstanding preparation with an authoritative victory over 1800m at Caulfield on Saturday, taking her record for the campaign to four wins and two seconds from six starts.
The Trilogy Racing-owned mare has now won five of her 13 starts, and Burke believes she is only beginning to fulfil her potential as she learns to conserve her energy through the early stages of her races.
“She’s just matured a lot,” Burke said.
“She had a really good spell last time in and we’ve taken her along slowly through the grades so she can learn a bit of race smarts.
“She was very keen and could overdo it, but she’s getting better with every run and settling better.
“Saturday was her best win. She’s got a big tank and she’ll only get better as she gets over further.”
Burke has always considered Perfect Ten a staying prospect, making the mare’s improving racing manners particularly important.
“It’s been a process getting her to settle because we know she has to get over a trip,” she said.
“I think you’ll see the best of her at 2000m and beyond, so to keep performing like she is over the shorter distances all bodes well for the future.”
Burke came to train Perfect Ten through Sean Dingwall, with the mare having returned to Blue Gum Farm before joining her Cranbourne stable.
“Sean asked me to take her and see if I thought she was any good,” Burke said.
“I had her for a preparation and said she did everything upside down and had a few little issues, but she was fast enough. We just had to get her doing it at the right end.
“I spent a whole preparation working on that. Craig Williams came and trialled her for me and I said, ‘This is my project pony.’
“We put her out again and when she came back we went from there.”
Her progress has not been entirely straightforward. Perfect Ten suffered a significant injury during an earlier preparation when badly cutting herself in a race at the Caulfield Heath.
“She’s probably lucky to still be with us,” Burke said.
“She got badly injured at her second start that preparation and cut herself to pieces. She’s very lucky, but she still went on with that preparation, then had a really good spell and has come back and gone from strength to strength.
“She’s a very, very happy horse.”
Burke, who has 14 horses in work, has appreciated the freedom afforded to her by Trilogy principals Jason and Melanie Stenning in developing the valuable mare.
“Jason has been great. They leave me to my own devices and trust me 100 percent to know their horses are being looked after and that I’m doing the right thing by them,” Burke said.
“To develop a nice staying mare like this, they’ve just sat back and let it all unfold, which has been great.”
Perfect Ten is a full-sister to Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Asterix (NZ) (Tavistock), adding further incentive to secure black-type for the mare before she eventually heads to the broodmare paddock.
Burke is mindful Perfect Ten has already had six starts this campaign and is likely to space her races as she works towards the Tesio Stakes on Cox Plate Day.
“We’re trying to get deep into the spring and she’s had six runs already,” she said.
“She’s loving life and pulled up fantastic. She pulled up like she hadn’t even been around, so the racing isn’t hurting her, but she might go a month between runs now.
“The Tesio Stakes is what we’ve got to target with her. She’s a full-sister to a Group One winner, so to get some black-type for her would be a very good result.”
Bred by Go Bloodstock Australia, Perfect Ten is by Tavistock out of the Shirocco mare Mourasana and was purchased by Trilogy Racing for $160,000 from Curraghmore’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2022.
