Uncle Mo’s Perfect Flight Takes Home Zia Park Derby
Perfect Flight (3c Uncle Mo x Date to Remember, by Bernardini) became the newest stakes winner for his sire on Tuesday with a victory in the Listed Zia Park Derby for Gary Barber.
The back marker of the field early on in the 1 1/16-mile dirt race, he spent much of the backstretch moving up to sit in third going into the stretch. At that point, he made his move and entered a duel with the leader.
Perfect Flight had command by the time they entered the final furlong and pulled away from there to win by 2 ¾ lengths with only the other two in the top three within seven lengths of him at the end.
Perfect Flight is trained by Peter Miller and was last seen finishing third in the Grade II Twilight Derby with a second in the Grade III La Jolla Handicap to his name as well.
Bred by Siena Farms, Perfect Flight is one of two stakes winners out of Date to Remember alongside Grade III winner National Flag and Grade I-placed Bernina Star. Date to Remember is a half-sister to Grade I winner Eddington and Grade I-placed Star Crowned.
Date to Remember has a 2-year-old Justify filly named Red Rose City to come.
Perfect Flight is the 85th worldwide stakes winner for Uncle Mo, who is also the sire of 160 stakes performers led by 46 graded stakes winners.