A brave Spiced Perfection battles back to win Keeneland's TCA

Spiced Perfection nearly lost jockey Javier Castellano at the start of Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Thoroughbred Club of America, but she still delivered off the layoff, splitting horses deep in the Keeneland stretch to score a “Win and You’re In” trip home to the Breeders’ Cup.

After this effort, the California-bred trained by Peter Miller will have to be respected in a Filly & Mare Sprint bunch that includes, among others, 3-year-old star Covfefe and Come Dancing, whose only loss this season came to Horse of the Year contender Midnight Bisou.

Spiced Perfection stumbled to begin last in the six-furlong event before rallying off fractions of 22.14 and 45.21 seconds. A tough trip continued with a furlong to go when a gap appeared to be tightening between pace-setting Talk Veuve to Me and Mia Mischief.

No matter, as Castellano guided the 4-year-old daughter of Smiling Tiger right on through. Dawn the Destroyer chased on late but didn’t have enough time to catch the winner, who finished up in 1:10.60.

"She recovered pretty quick and we kept tracking the speed," Castellano said of the break. "We got through a little, tiny hole at the eighth pole. The filly was very brave to go through that hole and get it done.”

Going back to her 3-year-old season, Spiced Perfection upset the La Brea (G1) in her graded debut at Santa Anita, leading to a private sale and change in trainer to the current connections. 

Spiced Perfection is now 8-5-2 in 18 starts.

“This horse has been great ever since she started racing," said co-owner Bob Flynn. "Eighteen races now, eight wins and she just never quits."

As for the Breeders' Cup?

"Sounds great," Flynn added. "Sounds wonderful. I’ve never had one in the Breeders’ Cup.”

Behind Dawn the Destroyer, Mia Mischief stayed on for third with favored Chalon fourth in the field of nine.