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Perfect Shirl scores in Lake George Charles E. Fipke's homebred PERFECT SHIRL (Perfect Soul [Ire]) brought a two-race win streak into Wednesday's $150,000 Lake George S. (G2) at Saratoga and exited the race with that winning skein still intact following a game three-quarter length victory under jockey John Velazquez. Sent off the 9-1 fifth choice in the 12-distaffer field, the Roger Attfield runner completed 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf in 1:41 1/5. Go Ask Alex (Afleet Alex) and Strike it Rich (Unbridled's Song) battled it out through the opening six furlongs of the Lake George, with the former setting splits of :23 3/5, :47 3/5 and 1:11 3/5. All the while, Perfect Shirl was running three wide in midpack down the backstretch. The pacesetters were quickly overwhelmed in the lane, and Perfect Shirl unleashed a furious four-wide rally that saw her reach the front just in time. Perfect Shirl rewarded her faithful backers with payouts of $20.60, $12.20 and $8. Exclusive Love (Bernstein) tracked the pacesetters in third, went wide rounding the turn, put in a game run, but just fell short while holding second by a half-length over a fast-closing No Explaining (Azamour [Ire]). The longest shot on the board at 57-1, Exclusive Love gave back $43 and $17.80. No Explaining, who like the winner resides in the Attfield barn, came from next to last to snatch third away from Khancord Kid (Lemon Drop Kid) by a half-length, returning $9. The exotics were worth $1,012 (exacta) and $6,103 (trifecta), while the 10 cent superfecta (5-10-6-3) totaled a lucrative $15,150.70. "They both ran the races they usually run," assistant trainer Sue Lorimer said. "Roger had given the riders the instructions to just sit off it and let them come with one run, and both did that. It looked like No Explaining got into a little traffic there down the lane or they might have run one-two. Roger will get them back to Woodbine and go from there." "I run against Roger Attfield every day in Canada, and I had to come here to get beat by him!" said Exclusive Love's trainer, Mark Casse. "I was very happy with the way she ran. We'll be back again at the end of the meet (for the August 22 Lake Placid [G2])." Crescenda (Bowman's Band) followed Khancord Kid by a neck while holding fifth by a nose over Dynazaper (Ghostzapper), who in turn was a neck up on Neon Light (Ger) (Refuse to Bend [Ire]). Completing the order under the wire were House of Grace (Limehouse), Bay to Bay (Sligo Bay [Ire]), Caminadora (More Than Ready), Go Ask Alex and Strike it Rich. Ambitoness (Action This Day), Kittylicious (Tactical Cat) and Queen Hazel (Monarchos) didn't draw in from the also-eligible list. "I used to have an Irish friend who would say, 'She lost her way.' She lost her way -- that's my explanation," conditioner Christophe Clement said in regards to 3-1 favorite Strike it Rich. Perfect Shirl began her racing career at Gulfstream Park in early March, running second in a turf maiden, then showed her disdain for Keeneland's Polytrack when sixth next out. She did slightly better when third over Woodbine's version of that all-weather surface, but didn't earn her first victory until switching back to the turf and stretching out to nine furlongs at Woodbine on June 13. Attfield sent her back to the Polytrack for her first try against winners, but Perfect Shirl dueled in that allowance before edging away to win by a half-length. With this, her stakes bow, now added to her record, the three-year-old lass has accumulated $170,557 in earnings to go along with a 6-3-1-1 career mark. The Kentucky-bred bay is out of a very talented family. Her dam, Lady Shirl (That's a Nice), captured 10 stakes during her racing career, including the Flower Bowl H. (G1) and E. P. Taylor S. (Can-G2) in 1991, and is a half-sister to the granddam of Canadian 3 winner Mona Rose (Gold Legend). Perfect Shirl is herself a half-sister to Shakespeare (Theatrical [Ire]), hero of the Woodbine Mile (Can-G1) and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational S. (G1); 2007 De La Rose S. and Noble Damsel H. (G3) runner-up Fantastic Shirl (Fantastic Light); and Lady Shakespeare (Theatrical [Ire]), who so far this season has scored in the New York S. (G2) and Bewitch S. (G3). Lady Shirl has since produced a yearling full sister to the Lake George winner. Others of note in this female line include champion Numbered Account (Buckpasser), who is the dam of prominent sire and Grade 1 winner Private Account (Damascus) and Grade 1 queen Dance Number (Northern Dancer), herself the producer of champion Rhythm (Mr. Prospector); multiple Grade 1 victress Heritage of Gold (Gold Legend); Irish champion Woodman (Mr. Prospector); Italian highweight Distant Way (Distant View); multiple Grade/Group 1-winning sire Redattore (Brz) (Roi Normand); and stallions Mutakddim (Seeking the Gold) and Not for Love (Mr. Prospector).
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