HORSE RACING Perfect Drift tops Congaree in Kentucky Cup

Perfect Drift has won four of six races this year.
FLORENCE, Ky. (AP) -- Perfect Drift spoiled Congaree's prep for the Breeders' Cup, winning by a length Saturday in the $350,000 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park.
Perfect Drift, ridden by Pat Day, stalked 4-5 favorite Congaree and Crafty Shaw until the top of the stretch. Perfect Drift caught the favorite and then pulled away as Congaree was eased a bit in the closing yards.
"He broke sharply, but I eased him back just off the pace," Day said. "Then at the eighth-pole, Congaree kind of folded up.
"He (Perfect Drift) was in hand to the wire. He was an awesome effort."
Perfect Drift, who was not nominated for the Breeders' Cup, is headed toward the Hawthorne Gold Cup in two weeks.
He showed again how much he likes this northern Kentucky strip, where he is 4-2-0 in six starts, including a win in last year's Lane's End Spiral Stakes.
Strong showing
Perfect Drift has won four of six races this year, with wins in the Washington Park Handicap at Arlington, and a victory over top-rated Mineshaft in the Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs.
The $221,500 winner's share in the Grade 2 Classic put Perfect Drift just over $1 million for the year.
"He was just breezing along when (Edgar) Prado asked Congaree to run at the 3-16th (pole), and we were in hand," trainer Murray Johnson said. "I felt very confident."
Congaree is owned by Bob McNair, the owner of the Houston Texans. After winning the Hollywood Gold Cup in July, Congaree was held out of the Pacific Classic last month at Del Mar. This was to be his prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 25 at Santa Anita.
Trainer Bob Baffert said the effort was good enough.
"That will set him up," Baffert said. "One thing about this track is that it's very demanding, but it should set him up."
Race results
Perfect Drift covered the 1 1-8 miles in a slow 1:50 2-5 on a track rated fast. That compares with Hansel's track record of 1:46 3-5 in the 1991 Spiral Stakes.
Perfect Drift, the second favorite, paid $4.80 and $2.10; Congaree returned $2.10 to place. There was no show wagering on the five-horse field.
There were three Grade 3 stakes on the Day of Champions card.
Mr. Jester, trained by Steve Wren, was the 20-1 winner of the Juvenile after Prado's mount, Pomeroy, was disqualified for interfering with the third-place finisher, The Cliff's Edge.
Prado was aboard favored Smok'n Frolic, trained by Todd Pletcher, for a win in the Turfway Breeders' Cup.
Cajun Beat, with Cornelio Velasquez aboard, won the Sprint.
Baffert and Prado teamed to win the ungraded, $100,000 Juvenile Fillies with Class Above, who won by 16 lengths and is unbeaten in two races.