by Jeff Apel

One year after winning the Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1) with The Tin Man, trainer Richard Mandella will try to repeat the feat with Perfect Drift.

The Tin Man was retired from racing after joining John Henry, Super Diamond, and John’s Call as the only winners of a Grade 1 race at age nine. Perfect Drift might join that exclusive list when he makes his nine-year-old debut, and first start for Mandella, in the $250,000 Shoemaker, a one-mile turf race on Monday at Hollywood Park.

“He’s been doing fabulous,” Mandella said. “Like most good horses, he has developed a lot of character through the years.”

Dr. William Reed’s Stonecrest Farm owns Perfect Drift, a career earner of $4,680,691 who has won 11 of his 46 starts, including a victory in the 2003 Stephen Foster Handicap (G1). The Dynaformer gelding has not started since finishing fifth in an allowance/optional claiming race on July 8 at Churchill Downs for then-trainer Murray Johnson, who has retired.

“I got a call from Dr. Reed,” Mandella said. “He gave me instructions, ‘If the horse acted like he wanted to do it, go ahead. If not, retire him.’”

Perfect Drift returned to training four months ago. The bay gelding worked five furlongs in a bullet :58.80 handily on May 21 at Santa Anita Park. The work was the fastest of 31 moves at the distance.

“The way he’s doing now, he acts like he wants to go to work,” Mandella said.

Perfect Drift will face a field of seven that includes Grade 1 winners Ever a Friend and Daytona (Ire) and multiple graded stakes winners Notional and Get Funky.

Ever a Friend enters off a win on turf in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap (G1) on March 1 at Santa Anita Park. The Crafty Friend gelding won the Impressive Luck Handicap on December 31 at Santa Anita in his first start since being claimed for $62,500 by trainer Mike Mitchell.

“He does everything right,” Mitchell said. “He doesn’t have one hole in him. He’s just a professional. He’s an easy horse to train. He’s a trainer’s dream.”

Daytona has won five of his six previous starts for trainer Dan Hendricks, including the 2007 Hollywood Derby (G1). The Indian Ridge (Ire) gelding enters off a win in the Arcadia Handicap (G2) on April 5 at Santa Anita.

Jeff Apel is a Thoroughbred Times assistant daily news editor