OAK TREE : Possibly Perfect Easily Wraps Yellow Ribbon

A week after trainer Bobby Frankel failed to win with six horses in the Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita, he won the Oak Tree meeting’s richest non-Breeders’ Cup race with a 3-year-old filly who had been lame after her previous start.

Possibly Perfect, leading all the way in the $400,000 Yellow Ribbon Invitational, scored a 1 1/4-length victory, paying $35.20. Possibly Perfect was not among the 14 original invitees to the Yellow Ribbon, but when there were three defections, Frankel was able to secure a spot for her in the 13-horse field.

A Kentucky-bred granddaughter of Northern Dancer, Possibly Perfect began her career with three starts in France, and since making her U.S. debut with a maiden victory at Hollywood Park in late June, she has never run a bad race. Possibly Perfect’s record here is four victories, one second and one third, and the $240,000 Yellow Ribbon victory increased her overall purses to more than $400,000 for Robert and Geri Witt, the Encino couple who bred and race her.

Possibly Perfect, ridden by Corey Nakatani for the first time, ran 1 1/4 miles on grass in 2:02 4/5. She outfinished Tribulation, a 3-year-old filly who had won the Queen Elizabeth Cup at Keeneland two weeks ago on soft ground while Possibly Perfect was finishing third, 2 1/2 lengths back.

The three horses after Possibly Perfect were separated by less than a length, with Tribulation a head better than Miatuschka, who finished a nose ahead of Verveine. Let’s Elope, the 13-10 favorite, raced in close contention early, but flattened out after the turn for home and wound up 10th. Jockey Pat Valenzuela said that she had trouble handling the firm turf course.

“After the Kentucky race, we flew Possibly Perfect back here a day or so later, and she got off the van dead lame,” Frankel said. “We found that she had a pus pocket (in the right front hoof), but it cleared up quickly. Running her was an afterthought.”

Despite remaining winless in the Breeders’ Cup, Frankel saw his horses earn more than $1 million in the seven races, with Bertrando picking up $600,000 for his second-place finish behind Arcangues, the 133-1 shot, in the $3-million Classic. Frankel’s barn has passed the $8.5-million mark in purses and holds an insurmountable lead in the national standings.

Possibly Perfect, becoming the fourth 3-year-old to win the Yellow Ribbon out of 17 runnings, will also run next year, skipping the $400,000 Matriarch while Frankel runs Toussaud in the Nov. 28 race at Hollywood Park. Toussaud was fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Because Possibly Perfect was a late addition to the Yellow Ribbon field, Nakatani picked up the mount, after Pat Day rode her at Keeneland and Kent Desormeaux had ridden her in the four previous races. Desormeaux rode another Frankel starter, Revasser, in the Yellow Ribbon, and they were knocked around leaving the gate and finished last.

“I feel sorry for Kent, because he would have ridden Possibly Perfect,” Frankel said. “But he was locked in to Revasser by the time we decided to run Possibly Perfect, and I didn’t want to go around switching riding assignments at the last minute.”

Possibly Perfect never was pressured despite having only a small lead.

“Bobby told me that he thought my filly would be able to get an easy lead,” Nakatani said. “That’s exactly what happened. We were just galloping. I geared her down coming off the first turn, and then, turning into the stretch, she just gave me everything she had.”

Horse Racing Notes

The Oak Tree meeting will end today. Hollywood Park’s 26-day fall season will open Wednesday. . . . Two unseasoned 2-year-olds who might hook up in the $500,000 Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 19 won at Santa Anita during the weekend. Numerous, a $1.7-million yearling, won Saturday in his second start, and Duca, who brought $360,000 at auction, broke his maiden Sunday in his second race. “The jockey (Chris McCarron) had trouble pulling the colt up,” trainer Charlie Whittingham said after Numerous’ victory at 6 1/2 furlongs. “This horse should go on. He’s got a real set of lungs on him.” Duca and Brocco, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, are trained by Randy Winick for Cubby and Dana Broccoli. Numerous is owned by Howard Keck, who won the 1986 Kentucky Derby with the Whittingham-trained Ferdinand.