Perfect Soul tops in King Edward

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Perfect Soul circled into contention on the far turn and then drew off in the final furlong to notch his first stakes Sunday at Woodbine in the $336,600 King Edward Breeders' Cup Handicap.

Perfect Soul raced about five lengths off the lead on the backstretch of the nine-furlong turf event, as Tap the Admiral and Union Placed dueled through moderate fractions over a course rated good. Perfect Soul made a five-wide bid on the turn, and then hit the front nearing the eighth pole en route to a two and a half-length victory.

Strut the Stage finished second after a four-wide trip, while Del Mar Show ended up third in the nine-horse field. The final time was 1:49.60 seconds.

Robert Landry, who captured the Grade 2 King Edward for the second straight year aboard Perfect Soul, said the 5-year-old son of Sadler's Wells put it all together Sunday.

"He's a great horse," Landry stressed. "I tried rating him last year, after he won his first three races, and in retrospect, I think it was a mistake to do." Perfect Soul, trained by Roger Attfield, returned $5.40 and banked $203,760 for owner/breeder Charles Fipke.