Victory for Pleasantly Perfect

DEL MAR —  One of the happiest people after Pleasantly Perfect’s one-length win Sunday in the $1-million Pacific Classic was on the periphery of the winner’s-circle celebration. He was just 5 feet 3, wearing a neck and back stabilizer.

Alex Solis has ridden Pleasantly Perfect to some of his biggest wins -- Breeders’ Cup and Dubai included -- but he’s on the sidelines now, the result of a spill that fractured a vertebrae and a few ribs on July 23. Solis, not expected back until after Christmas, watched Jerry Bailey rally the 6-year-old veteran as he became the oldest winner of Del Mar’s signature race.

“I’m glad Jerry got the horse to relax,” Solis said. “What better rider could you get? He’s the best in the world. He had him relaxed, and with a half-mile to go, I knew nobody was going to beat him.”

Idle for four months after winning the Dubai World Cup in March, Pleasantly Perfect was knocked off by Choctaw Nation here three weeks ago. Last of eight horses after Sunday’s opening mile, Choctaw Nation’s belated stretch run netted no better than fourth. Perfect Drift, the Kentucky shipper, finished second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Total Impact.

Favored Pleasantly Perfect, giving trainer Richard Mandella his third Pacific Classic win before a crowd of 30,177, paid $4 to win, his 1 1/4 -mile time of 2:01.17 the third-slowest in the 14 years of the stakes race.

“I didn’t want to ask the question and get the answer too soon,” said Bailey, the New York-based rider who lost the 1996 Pacific Classic with the heavily favored Cigar. “I just followed Mike Smith’s horse [Total Impact], because I thought he was the one to beat.”

Leaving the final turn, Total Impact was on the lead, a couple of lengths ahead of Pleasantly Perfect. The horses bumped near the eighth pole as the winner went past.

“I did get clear some,” Smith said, “but not enough. In the end they went by me.”

Mandella, whose barn started this year slowly after winning a record four Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita in October, blamed himself for Pleasantly Perfect’s loss three weeks ago to Choctaw Nation.

“This wasn’t his best race,” Mandella said. “He was still fighting [the jockey]. But now I’ve got a lot of time to get my bad training out of him. I don’t know about anyone else, but he’s my horse of the year. He’s pulled me out of a slump. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be having a bad year.”

Mandella wasn’t certain if he’d run Pleasantly Perfect next in the Breeders’ Cup, at Lone Star Park on Oct. 30, or perhaps use the Goodwood Handicap at Santa Anita as a prep. Pleasantly Perfect has won the last two runnings of the Goodwood.

Pleasantly Perfect is the second favorite to win the Pacific Classic. Mandella also trained the first, Gentleman in 1997.

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Evening Attire, who has scored five of his 11 wins at Saratoga, outran Funny Cide in the stretch to win the $250,000 Saratoga Handicap by five lengths. Funny Cide finished second as the even-money favorite, 3 3/4 lengths ahead of Bowman’s Band.

Evening Attire ended a seven-race losing streak. Evening Attire, who has run eight times at Saratoga, paid $17 to win. Funny Cide, winner of the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness, has been beaten nine of 11 times since his Preakness win.

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Ema Bovary, the Chilean-bred mare who has won 10 of 12 starts in the U.S., won’t run again this year, but is expected to return to action in January at Santa Anita.... Roman Ruler, winner of the Best Pal at Del Mar, was not injured after throwing his exercise rider, Dana Barnes. Roman Ruler is iffy to run in the Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Sept. 8.... Artabegood, winner of the first race at Hollywood Park on June 10, was disqualified after testing positive for clenbuterol, a prohibited bronchial dilator. Artabegood’s trainer, Leonard Duncan, was fined $2,000.... Shake Off, winless in her last five starts, won Del Mar’s Barona Cup Handicap.... Russell Baze rode Adreamisborn to victory in the $250,000 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs.