Perfect Power stamped himself as the leading sprinter of his generation with an authoritative win in the Commonwealth Cup at Ascot to notch the third Group 1 victory of his career and his second Group win at the Royal Meeting.
Ardad’s leading runner from his successful first crop, the Richard Fahey-trained Perfect Power was bred by Tally-Ho Stud and races in the colours of Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum.
Christophe Soumillon, who has ridden the colt to all three of his Group 1 wins, said: “Perfect Power was the best two-year-old I have ridden in terms of speed and, now at three, he is still giving a great performance. I hope this is just his first Group 1 of the season and I’m sure that if he went to Deauville for the Prix Maurice de Gheest, that would be his race. Then maybe at the end of the season we go seven furlongs, but the trainer knows more than me.”
He continued: “I think the track was a bit fast for him and, with that draw, I didn’t have any option but to sit back. When I looked around at the two-furlong marker, I saw I had seven lengths to make up. I thought that was a bit far, but in the race before I saw Ryan Moore took the same line and the track was looking good there. I’m sure Perfect Power can be much better on softer ground, so it’s good news.”
After receiving his trophy from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, trainer Richard Fahey added: “He is a dude of a horse. He just lies down, eats, trains, and looks at all of us and just carries on with his life.
“You go to work him, switch him on and off, and it is incredible. We switched him on for the last two gallops and it was just sensational. I felt that whatever beat him today would be a special horse.
“This guy when we were training to stay a bit further, we were cantering him from the bottom of the gallop. He has not gone further than five and a half furlongs since then. He just seemed happier in himself and his work was better.
“It is not very often you are confident going into an Ascot race, but last year I thought he was a certainty and I said to Sheikh Rashid, ‘Whatever beats this guy, you buy him, he will be a special horse!’ Luckily nothing beat him and I have got a special horse!”
