By Reg Lansberry
Perfect Arc, a Grade-1 winner and multiple graded stakes winner and New York-bred champion, died on August 26 at the place of her birth, owner-breeder Frank Stella’s Delehanty Stock Farm in Amenia, New York. The daughter of Brown Arc, a son of 1977 and 1978 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Alleged, was 28.
Recalling the finest horse he has bred and raced in more than four decades in the Empire State, Stella said he “Bred Perfect Arc on a whim,” due to “a mad set of circumstances.” Those circumstances resulted in his standing her sire at Delehanty for one season. Brown Arc was a full brother to 1988 Prix du Jockey-Club (Fr-G1) (French Derby) winner Hours After.
Perfect Arc was foaled March 7, 1992, out of the Argentine mare Podeica (Petronisi-Indian Order, by Ovid), co-owned by Stella and the late Paul K. Sorren (Brazil Stable). Podeica won the 1987 Polla de Potrancas (Arg-G1) (Argentine One Thousand Guineas), defeating 1998 Racing Hall of Fame inductee Bayakoa (Arg). Podeica was a winner in allowance company in the U.S. when an injury forced her retirement.
Trained by Angel Penna, Jr., and co-owned and raced by Stella and Sorren, Perfect Arc competed from ages two through four. She was retired after her four-year-old season with ten victories in 13 career starts (six of them stakes wins) and purse earnings of $668,230. Her finest season came at age three in 1995 when she compiled a perfect 7-for-7 record, all on turf. With John Velazquez in the irons, Perfect Arc captured the 1995 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1) at Keeneland Race Course, defeating Auriette (Ire) by two lengths on good turf in 1:49 4/5. She also triumphed in the Rare Perfume Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park and Diana Handicap (G3) at Saratoga Race Course.
Perfect Arc’s glittering campaign resulted in multiple honors including 1995 New York-bred Horse of the Year, champion three-year-old filly, and champion turf female.
In 1996, Perfect Arc won two of four starts, all on turf. She added another graded stakes victory to her resume by taking down the Noble Damsel Handicap (G3) at Belmont Park and finished second to champion Possibly Perfect in the Beverly D. Stakes (G1) at Arlington International Racecourse. She was named 1996 N.Y. champion turf female at year’s end.
Retired to Delehanty to begin her career as a broodmare, Perfect Arc produced three winners from seven runners. Prominently, she is the granddam of seven-year-old mare Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind—Perfectly Wild, by Forest Wildcat), a Grade-1 winner, reigning Horse of the Year in Canada and that country’s three-time champion turf female (2017-1019). To date, Starship Jubilee has earned in excess of $1.6 million. All eight of Perfectly Wild’s runners to date have been winners.
Perfect Arc was buried at the farm.
