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Pleasant Progress

Although he retired to stud with earnings of nearly $7,780,000, Pleasantly Perfect (TrueNicks,SRO) had some strikes against him as a stallion prospect. The Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), and Dubai World Cup (gr. I) winner didn't start until he was three, when he made one outing, didn't win until he was four, and was at his best and five and six. In addition, he is a son of Pleasant Colony, a stallion who has generally been a disappointment as a sire of sires (although Pleasantly Perfect's stud-mate, Pleasant Tap (TrueNicks,SRO) , if not hugely commercial, has been a very solid sire of racehorses).
 
However, we're happy to report that Pleasantly Perfect is making a perfectly good start with his first crop, now three. The weekend brought his first graded stakes winner in the shape of Shared Account, who captured the Lake Placid Stakes (gr. II) at Saratoga. He has another very smart daughter in the speedy Light Green, who took the Fall Aspen Stakes at Belmont Park, and was beaten inches in the Prioress Stakes (gr. I). His trio of stakes winners is completed by Pamona Ball (a Pedigree Consultants recommended mating), who took the listed Sharp Cat Stakes at Hollywood Park last year.

He's also represented by French group-placed Pearlescence; graded-placed Quite the Lady (Pedigree Consultants recommended mating)  and the black-type placed runners Into My Soul, Mindy Sue, Dancin Perfect and Rapix Redux. That's nine stakes horses from 54 starters, a very healthy 16.7%. We should also note that the weekend saw a Saratoga allowance win from the improving Pitched Perfectly (Pedigree Consultants recommended mating again), who already has a fourth in the Count Fleet Stakes to his credit.
 
It's early days, but there is something of a pattern beginning to be apparent here. Pleasantly Perfect's dam, Regal State, was a group I winner against males in France at two. She is by Affirmed out of a mare by Lyphard, so is the product of a Raise a Native/Northern Dancer cross. Shared Account's dam is by Smart Strike (TrueNicks,SRO) out of a mare by Dixieland Band (TrueNicks,SRO) , so is a parallel Raise a Native/Northern Dancer cross. Light Green is is out of a mare by Sheikh Albadou (a grandson of Danzig) out of a mare by Mr. Prospector, so is Northern Dancer/Raise a Native, and the dam of Pomana Ball is by Hennessy out of a mare by Kris (from the Sharpen Up branch of Native Dancer), so is a Northern Dancer/Native Dancer cross. Incidentally in addition to Pomana Ball, he has two other stakes horses out of Storm Cat line mares, one a Storm Cat/Mr. Prospector cross. Even the promising Pitched Perfectly fits the bill, as he's out of mare by Deputy Minister, with a second dam by Mr. Prospector.
 

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