Photo of Ponda Perfect and LeWayne Miller by Dean Gillette
Ponda Perfect and LeWayne Miller turned in a flawless performance Thursday, August 27, winning the $11,500 trot in a new record time. The duo turned in a near gate to wire effort for the win in 1:56.0.
Ponda Perfect began from post seven and left the gate seeking the lead. She was hung on the outside early on and went into the first turn three wide. However, she came out of the turn on top, taking over just after the quarter in :28.1. From there, Ponda Perfect called all the shots, posting middle fractions of :58.1 and 1:27.3.
At the top of the stretch, Helponeanother and Jordan Ross had followed along in second the entire way and were prepared to close in, but Ponda Perfect picked up the tempo, trotting home in :28.1 for the win by two and three-quarter lengths. Helponeanother finished second more than 10 lengths ahead of the rest of the field.
Ponda Perfect paid $12.20 for the win. The Swan for All filly is owned by Elite Five Racing, L & S Racing, and Matthew Lamont. Pond-A-Acres, Tim Schmucker, and Allan Schmucker Jr. bred and raised the filly before she was acquired by the LeWayne and Susan Miller stable out of the Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale. She was the fifth horse to sell in the first session, bringing $24,000. She is a half sister to the tough Perfect Stick, winner in 1:53.2 with more than $250,000 on her card and Ponda Aesthetic, a winner in 1:54.3 with more than $144,000.
Ponda Perfect didn’t win any races in limited starts last year at two but she’s making up for it this season. She now has four wins in 15 starts and has moved her career bankroll to more than $46,000.
The Miller Stable also had another winner on the card as Good Bye Midnight took over after the quarter and never looked back, pulling away to a seven and one-quarter length advantage in 1:52.3. Dr Mantis Toboggan and Kyle Wilfong finished second over Its My Era Now and Anthony Miller.
Good Bye Midnight was the favorite, paying $3.20. The freshman son of Capt Midnight is owned by L & S Racing and was bred and raised by Rocky Road Stable. It was the first career win for the two-year-old, who was making his eighth career start. He was a $3,000 purchase last fall from the Midwest Standardbred Horse Sale by the Millers.
