Breeders’ Cup winner Perfect Shirl to go to Argentina to participate in the Gran Premio Internacional Pellegrini at San Isidro
The 4-year-old Roger Attfield trained filly, Perfect Shirl, only managed a single win the whole of her 2011 season, but that win came in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs in her last start and the enormity of the win has the
capability to overshadow all of her defeats in the 2011 season.
Now to cap off a Breeders’ Cup winning season, Charles E. Fipke’s, Perfect Shirl, is head down south to participate in the Group 1 Gran Premio Internacional Pellegrini at San Isidro Race Course in Buenos Aires.
She hasn’t started after winning the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, where she was sent off as the odds of 27 to 1 on 4 November. She managed to conjure up a powerful run and rolled down the Churchill Downs dirt track like a locomotive to over haul Nahrain
and Misty for Me, finishing second and third, respectively.
Ridden by John Velazquez, Perfect Shirl downed the 1 3/8 mile race on grass in 2 minutes and 18.62 seconds.
The Kentucky bred daughter of Perfect Soul, out of mare Lady Shirl by Thats A Nice, Perfect Shirl was expected to go to Hong Kong to participate in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin but instead her connections decided to go to Argentina.
“We weren’t able to get all the blood work and some other necessary paperwork done in time to make the trip to Honk Kong,” Attfield said. “So we decided to go to Argentina instead.”
“She’s very fit,” Attfield said. “She’s also a very slight filly, so there is no need to do too much with her. She’ll leave Wednesday morning, and I’ll leave later that day. I have seen video of some of the horses we’ll be racing against, but I really have
no idea what we’re up against. I think a good showing would enhance her chances at winning an Eclipse Award, but naturally we’ve got to go down there and do it first.”
The key reason to send Perfect Shirl to Argentina was because Attfield managed to secure the services of jockey John Velazquez to go one and a half mile in the Pelligrini.
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