Well-travelled warrior Perfect Scenario produced the ideal dress rehearsal for his main New Zealand Cup Week target when he dominated proceedings in Saturday’s TAB Mile Trial (1400m) at Riccarton.
The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared seven-year-old lumped topweight of 59kgs, even after having his allocation reduced by the 4kg claim of apprentice Amber Riddell, as he contested one of the major lead-up events to the Gr.3 TAB Mile (1600m), a feature event at Riccarton on 13 November.
The son of Iffraaj had been an impressive first-up winner at the venue over 1200m last month before being desperately unlucky not to win again a fortnight later when he was held up at a crucial time in the run home when finishing runner-up to race rival Times Ticking over 1400m.
Riddell took bad luck out of play as she sat Perfect Scenario outside Times Ticking, who assumed the pacemaking duties on this occasion, before angling him wide entering the home straight and taking control of proceedings.
Perfect Scenario kept up a strong gallop as he comfortably held out the challenges of Goldies Chance and Kopua to register his eleventh career victory.
Walker, who was at Riccarton for the meeting, was glowing in his praise for his charge.
"Perfect Scenario, you'd love a stable full of horses like him, whether it's wet or dry he just gives his best 100-percent of the time," Walker said.
"He's a great type of horse for these younger apprentices, just starting out in their careers. He gives them so much confidence and it was lovely to see Amber's beaming smile coming back to scale.
"He's in, arguably, career best form and he's just getting better and better with age, and we're really looking forward to seeing him race over Cup Week."
TAB Bookmakers have Perfect Scenario listed as a $16 chance in the Fixed Odds market for the TAB Mile, where the Tony Pike-trained Witz End is currently a $6 favourite ahead of local Riccarton hope Matscot ($8).
Raced by the Te Akau Perfection Syndicate after being purchased by Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis for $165,000 from the Woburn Farm draft during the 2019 Book 1 Sale at Karaka, Perfect Scenario has now had eleven wins along with eleven placings from 40 starts and has collected over $432,000 in prize money.
