Patience Pays Off for Possibly Perfect

Although the $212,800 Santa Barbara Handicap didn’t unfold as expected, the result was no surprise.

On paper, Possibly Perfect figured to go to the front Sunday and lead her four rivals for the entire 1 1/4 miles on the turf.

However, Kent Desormeaux was content to keep the 7-10 favorite Possibly Perfect in second behind Waitryst for most of the way, before taking the lead and going on to a half-length victory over Pracer in 2:00 2/5.

By winning the Santa Barbara, Possibly Perfect joined Lakeway as the only winner of two Grade I races at the meeting. Before Sunday, she had won the Santa Ana on March 19.

Trainer Bobby Frankel hasn’t seen either one of the victories by the 4-year-old Northern Baby filly. He was in Louisiana saddling You And I in the Louisiana Derby last month, and Sunday he didn’t come to the races after being at his barn in the morning.

Perhaps, the way things are going, Frankel will stay away when Possibly Perfect returns.

“Bobby told me that Desormeaux knows how to ride this filly and not to worry about that,” assistant trainer Humberto Ascanio said. “ . . . Kent rode her with a lot of confidence.”