Look at his last six races and you can see a horse finding his feet in real time: fourth, eighth, sixth, then third, second, and now a winner. That's a near-perfect arc of improvement — he's essentially been knocking on the door for months, and the door finally opened at one of the most famous tracks in Britain. Epsom is a strange, switchback circuit that catches plenty of horses out, so winning there is never a formality.
The key to unlocking Perfect Scoundrel has clearly been finding the right distance. Over a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs, he's won 1 from 4 races — that's a 25% win rate, or 1 in every 4 attempts, which is a sharp improvement on his overall record. Most horses have a sweet spot, a distance where everything clicks, and this looks very much like his.
He's trained by Amanda Perrett at her yard in Pulborough, West Sussex — a small, well-regarded operation that has sent out 5 winners already this season. Perrett is a trainer who tends to know her horses well and place them carefully, so the fact that Perfect Scoundrel is now winning suggests the team have figured out exactly what he needs. With a win on the board and his confidence presumably sky-high — he raced just one day ago — it will be interesting to see where they aim him next.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandown Park Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 17 Sep | 0% |
| Newbury Galloping |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 2 Jul | 0% |
| Lingfield Park Sharp |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 20 Apr | 0% |
| Goodwood Undulating |
2 | 1 third, 1 other | 5 Jun | 0% |
| Epsom Downs Undulating |
1 | 1 win | 16 Jul | 100% |