Perfect Ten fights back for Sandown success

A full-sister to Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) and multiple Australian black-type winner Asterix (NZ) (Tavistock) hinted at a bright future of her own with victory in the A$130,000 Evergreen Turf Handicap (1600m) at Sandown on Saturday.

The Benchmark 74 handicap was the 10^th career start for the five-year-old mare Perfect Ten (NZ) (Tavistock), who has now recorded three wins and four placings and has earned A$128,950 for owners Trilogy Racing.

A first-up winner over 1400m at Sale on May 3 and then runner-up over 1500m at Caulfield on May 27, the Nikki Burke-trained Perfect Ten stepped up to 1600m for her third-up assignment on Saturday and added another win to her strong run of form this time in.

Perfect Ten was ridden by Logan Bates, and after jumping well from gate two, took up a position just behind the leaders.

The race changed quickly at the top of the straight as the leaders emptied their tanks and faded out of contention, leaving Perfect Ten in front early in the run home.

Sweet Jasmine (So You Think) came from last and kicked through on Perfect Ten’s inside to clearly take the lead with less than 200m to run, but Bates got Perfect Ten to lift again and move back up alongside her. Perfect Ten was the stronger of the two through the last 100m and edged ahead to win by half a length.

“She did well to maintain a strong gallop through these tough (Soft7) conditions,” Bates said. “She jumped well, but I knew the others would work forward and across us and I just let her get rolling in her rhythm.

“I always thought they’d roll off the fence at the top of the straight. We hit the front a bit soon and she probably toyed with the other one (Sweet Jasmine) a bit. She felt like she had a bit in hand.”

Burke is delighted to have a horse of Perfect Ten’s calibre in her Cranbourne stable.

“I can’t thank Trilogy enough,” she said. “I love this mare. She’s my favourite horse. I do everything with her.

“She’s not easy, she pulls very hard at times and isn’t easy to manage, but she’s a perky little girl and has such a great will to win and a big tank. I think she’s a really, really nice stayer in the making.

“We’ll probably go to 2000m now. She’s on the right track and is going great.”

Perfect Ten was bred by Sir Owen Glenn’s Go Bloodstock Australia Pty Ltd and, like Asterix, is by Tavistock out of the British-bred Shirocco mare Mourasana.

Curraghmore offered Perfect Ten during Book 2 of Karaka 2022, which was held between March 7 and 9 that year – immediately after Asterix’s Derby victory at Ellerslie on March 5. Trilogy Racing bought Perfect Ten for $160,000.