Kentucky Derby 2019 Radar: New locale for Plus Que Parfait
Trainer Brendan Walsh says Plus Que Parfait has “perked up” since relocating from Louisiana’s Fair Grounds, site of two 2019 Kentucky Derby trail defeats to open the year, to South Florida’s Palm Meadows Training Center.
Now, connections are pondering sending the colt much farther with a run at the lucrative UAE Derby (G2) on Dubai World Cup night an option, according to Dubai Racing Club publicity.
“I want to make sure I’m completely happy with him before I commit to going, but right now he’s doing very well and had a nice work the other day,” Walsh said. “I’m not sure that he enjoyed the Fair Grounds track, and I know he’s a better horse than those two races.
“Of course, he had the rail the second time, but I thought he would finish better than he did.”
Last out, Plus Que Parfait ran 13th of 14 in the Feb. 16 Risen Star (G2), for which the chart reads he “came five wide into the stretch and failed to respond.” Before that, he finished fifth in the Lecomte (G3) to open his 3-year-old season.
Both results were far from where the son of Point of Entry finished his 2-year-old campaign, just a neck away from winning Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) and considered one to watch as the calendar turned. In breaking his maiden a start before that at Keeneland, Plus Que Parfait also nosed out the eventual Holy Bull (G2) winner Harvey Wallbanger.
“He’s a horse who has shown a lot of talent,” Walsh said, “and I don’t think he’s fallen as far off form that as races this year would suggest.”
Plus Que Parfait’s ownership, Imperial Racing, is based in Dubai, so Walsh said a trip to run in the $2.5 million race “has always been a serious possibility for him.” The trainer, an Irishman, also formerly worked for Godolphin overseas.
“I really hoped to eventually come back, but only if I had a horse like him who has a real chance,” Walsh said. “Still, I won’t make any final decisions until he works next week. If he really pleases me with what he does, then we will probably ship out after that.”
Plus Que Parfait’s first breeze back from the Risen Star measured a half mile in 50.25 seconds Saturday at Palm Meadows.
“The trip hasn’t bothered him at all,” Walsh said. “You could walk him to Dubai and it wouldn’t bother him and that’s one of the reasons I think he would be a good candidate to ship over there."
The following is a Dubai Racing Club-provided watch list for other contenders who could run in the 1 3/16-mile final prep on March 30 paying out points to the Top 4 finishers on a 100-40-20-10 basis: Sydney Opera House, Van Beethoven, Western Australia, Albuquerque, Red Cactus, Grecko, Derma Louvre, Art du Val, Divine Image, Estihdaaf, Golden Jaguar, Moshaher, Superior, Swift Rose, Tabarak, Walking Thunder, Al Hayette, Sporting Chance, Tone Broke and Manguzi.