Four-year-old Perfect Puzzle endured a wretched start to his career as a racehorse.
Lameness, shin-soreness, a freak eye injury and other various issues and “hiccups”, as Murwillumbah trainer Matthew Dunn politely puts it, meant the son of Exceed And Excel didn’t make his race debut until December 30 last year.
On Friday at Murwillumbah however, Dunn is confident Perfect Puzzle can record a long-overdue win in the Ozcat Clothing Maiden (1200m).
Perfect Puzzle began his career with Gerald Ryan in Sydney as the first horse for Sydney businessman Clifford Curran.
The initial issues and hiccups led Ryan recommending to Curran that Perfect Puzzle be sent to Dunn at Murwillumbah.
“I’ve probably had him for 12 months,” Dunn, Ryan’s former stable foreman, said.
“He injured his eye in a paddock incident – we think he got poked in the eye by an overhanging branch – which put him out for some time.
“He’s had lameness, gone shin-sore three times and had other problems.
“But believe me, he’s a nice horse.
“I like him. He’s a lovely type, a horse going places.”
After all the trials and tribulations, Perfect Puzzle made his debut over 1200m at Ipswich on December 30, starting the well-tried $2 favourite.
The bad luck that had dogged Perfect Puzzle apparently struck again and he was beaten a neck into second place by Whispering Death.
“It was the slowest race run ever (1:11.72),” Dunn said.
“He went back early – he’s highly strung and we’re trying to teach him to relax – and they crawled for the first 600 metres.
“In the end he was a victim of the slow early speed.”
Dunn said Perfect Puzzle had done really well since Ipswich but will undergo a gear change from winkers to blinkers on Friday.
“He came out to run down the leader at Ipswich but wobbled around. The blinkers should help him concentrate better,” Dunn said.
“He’s worked great in the gear.
“He’s a brilliant track worker. He matches it with horses that have won Saturday races in town.”
Leading Gold Coast rider Daniel Griffin partners Perfect Partner.
AAP TURF
