Perfectly Ideal digs deep for gritty win

American Ideal gelding Perfectly Ideal made it two wins from two starts at the harness racing meeting at Ascot Park on Sunday.

He led early before being challenged by Rattling Thunder and then Franco Huntington.

Driver Shane Walkinshaw was then happy to hand up to The Tisbury Terror.

In a titanic finish after looking beaten, Perfectly Ideal came back strongly on the inside to beat Rattling Thunder by a half a head with Genuine Excuse, another half a head back in third.

Perfectly Ideal was purchased for $16,000 by Allan Lindsay who gave trainer Phillip (Snow) Devery a half share in the gelding.

Devery is a neighbour of Lindsay's at Myross Bush.

"I like a horse that sparks in the ring. He came into the ring and looked a bit bored. I don't tend to look at them much beforehand. He was walking into the ring and got a fright and spooked up just for two or three strides and I could see the sharpness even though he looked tired and bored. And being $16,000 out of that family – it's a really good family," said Devery.

Devery is known for developing and selling young horses but he always knew that Perfectly Ideal wasn't going to make a juvenile. 

"He's a big overgrown fella. He’s probably not a three year old either but what he's doing is putting it on the board. We’ve taken a different approach to this one being a big horse. You can either train to sell or train to race. We treated him as a racehorse and left him alone."

Regular driver Shane Walkinshaw has also played a big part in developing the gelding.

"Shane has done most of the work with him at the workouts and trials to skill him up. He’s done an excellent job. His stable name is Boff because he doesn't worry about much at home."

The key to the three year old is that be lifts to another level at the races. 

"He's just got that competitive nature when he knows its race day. I work him on his own. He's done no speed work except for trials and race days to sharpen him up. After that run the other day I worked him during the week and felt he was a bit tired so I jogged him twenty minutes for two days to get him back to being fresh. As soon as he got here today he was up on his toes."

Perfectly Ideal is out of the one win Christian Cullen mare Dudinka's Angel. She’s a sister to good performers Dudinka's Cullen, Dudinka's Star and Dudinka's Christian. 

"I've always told Allan that he's a horse were going to have to look after because I don't think we'll see the best of him until he's four. I thought today after getting attacked he had all rights to run second or third but he picked himself up off the canvas."

After yesterday’s win Perfectly Ideal will have a short break.

"He's going in the paddock for ten days. He is for sale. If he's not sold I'd be quite happy to keep him."

Bruce Stewart   –  Southland Harness Racing  –  Check site here