Doug O'Neill had his Plan B in place — just in case what he expected from Wickedly Perfect in Friday's Grade I Darley Alcibiades didn't materialize.
"I actually had a plane ride for her home tomorrow, you know, the old prepare-for-the-worst," the California-based trainer said.
About halfway through the 11⁄16-mile test, however, O'Neill was fairly confident his horse wasn't going anywhere.
Wickedly Perfect's California homecoming is happily on hold because she is now bound for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs following her 2-length victory in the $400,000 Alcibiades Stakes on opening day of Keeneland's fall meet.
Following Wickedly Perfect's runner-up effort in the Grade I, 7-furlong Darley Debutante at Del Mar on Sept. 4, her connections decided to find out sooner rather than later whether she could handle the stress of shipping to the Midwest and whether her tactical speed could hold up around two turns.
From her laid-back demeanor in the mornings to the way she waltzed through an opening half in :50.19 while setting the pace Friday, the answer on both accounts was an emphatic "Yes."
"Unless they have a cure for baldness, it doesn't get any better than this," the follicly challenged O'Neill said with a laugh. "All credit to (co-owner) Steve (Kenly), he really wanted to ship and see how she handled shipping regardless of what track we were running on.
"When I saw 50 and change, I was loving it. This is a quality filly. She's handled everything so well and so professional."
Wickedly Perfect showed she could sit just off the pace during her win in the Grade III, 61/2-furlong Sorrento Stakes in August. But the gray daughter of Congrats had things largely to herself Friday as she rolled to the lead under Rafael Bejarano and opened a 1-length advantage over Wonderlandbynight down the backside.
Wonderlandbynight tried to draw alongside on the turn for home, but Wickedly Perfect — sent off as the 3-2 favorite — repelled that effort and an inside bid from third-place finisher Jordy Y to finish in 1:46.26 over the Polytrack.
"Until they answer the question, you never know if they can route, and she answered it today," said Steve Kenly, who owns Wickedly Perfect along with David Kenly, Jay Schneider and Peter Moehrke. "She had another gear, didn't she?"
Harlan's Ruby came running late to grab second by a nose over Jordy Y, and she is also under consideration to face Wickedly Perfect in the Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 5.
"We needed a little more pace than that today," trainer Ken McPeek said of Harlan's Ruby. "But she fights on; she keeps coming."
Wickedly Perfect improved her career record to three wins in four starts with $404,600 in earnings. The Breeders' Cup would be her first start on dirt, and O'Neill said he plans to take her to Churchill soon so she can get acclimated.
"I don't think (the dirt) is going to be an issue," O'Neill said. "I think going from dirt to synthetic might be more difficult than the other way around. But she's going to have to face the best in the world and be up to it on that day."
Another trainer making Breeders' Cup plans is Keene land-based Charles Lopresti. Lopresti, who already has Grade I winner Here Comes Ben pointed for the Dirt Mile, gained a Sprint contender Friday when Wise Dan won the Grade III, 6-furlong Phoenix Stakes by a half-length in 1:09.20.
Wise Dan was making his first start after a five-month layoff and his fourth lifetime start. The 3-year-old gelding rallied past runner-up Hollywood Hit. Grade I winner Warrior's Reward came up for third and is also likely bound for the Breeders' Cup.
"We'll make a decision about (the Breeders' Cup) in three or four days," said Lopresti, who maintains a 16-horse stable. "We don't want to do the wrong thing by the horse. When you beat a horse like Warrior's Reward, you know you've got a nice horse."
