Perfect Crime wins the Overskate (Michael Burns)
By Chris Lomon – Woodbine Communications
TORONTO— Perfect Crime, under leading rider Kazushi Kimura, powered home to take top prize in the $100,000 Overskate Presented by bet365, Sunday at Woodbine.
The race, for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds and up, was run at 7 ½ furlongs on an inner turf listed as “good.” Patches O’Houlihan, undefeated in his past six starts, was scratched.
Winless in seven tries on the year coming into the Overskate, Perfect Crime, a 5-year-old son of Old Forester-Thats Our Princess, stayed close to the pace before accelerating to the lead in the stretch to secure his first stakes victory and first win in almost a year.
Dun Drum and Town Cruise slugged it out on the front end through an opening quarter in :23.72, as Kimura kept Perfect Crime positioned fourth. Town Cruise then took over the proceedings and was shadowed by Perfect Crime, half-length back, through a half in :47.74.
Turning for home, Perfect Crime turned up the pressure on the frontrunner and wrested the lead away just after the eighth pole. The bay gelding, trained by Patrick Dixon for Colebrook Farms, bested 6-5 choice Mason’s Gamble by 1 ¾ lengths. Town Cruise was a nose back in third. Dun Drum, Lac Macaza, Banff, and Philip My Dear rounded out the order of finish.
The final time was 1:30.08.
“I was a little bit ahead out of the gate, he was so smooth to get the good position today and he was so comfortable,” said Kimura. “I know that Town Cruise is a nice horse, so I was starting the pressure from the half-mile and he kept going really well.”
The victory delivered Dixon, who is having a career-best campaign, his first stakes success.
“It’s very exciting. I’ve trained him since he was a baby and he’s always shown a lot of talent and I’ve aimed for this race for a long, long time. After I stretched him out the one time, I thought this would be a perfect race for him, he runs so well on the inner turf.
“He’d been training fantastic after his last race, and I thought he would run a really big race today. I was really excited for him to run. All credit to John Brnjas and the whole Colebrook family for sticking with me as a trainer and everything that we’ve been through.”
Perfect Crime, bred by the late Gus Schickedanz, is now 4-5-5 from 33 starts. Before the Overskate, his most recent winner’s circle trip came on October 28, 2022, in a 6 ½-furlong Tapeta race originally scheduled for the turf.
He paid $21.30 for today’s win.
