He may not be the force of yesteryear, but Perfect Neighbour , who lost the 2013 Triple Crown by a whisker, continues to show up on the scene every now and then with performances that rekindle his exploits of days gone by.

The proven Grade One campaigner returned to the races on February 28, 2018, after a six-month absence and finished a close second behind Orpheus in the King’s Plate over seven and a half furlongs (1,500m). The race finished in 1:32.0 and Perfect Neighbour was timed at 1:32.2.

That run was apparently just fine-tuning for the eight-year-old dark bay gelding ahead of his designated target — the Bonnie Blue Flag Trophy over nine furlongs and 25 yards (1,820m) on Saturday last, March 24, 2018.

In a three-way tussle to the wire, Perfect Neighbour (Omar Walker) was able to get up in the nick of time to beat Dontae (Dick Cardenas) and stable companion Hover Craft (Anthony Thomas) by half a length.

The final time of 1:56.2 was nothing near the capabilities of Perfect Neighbour, but it was a performance which satisfied the needs of his trainer, 17-time champion Wayne DaCosta.

“Always seems to be better than Open Allowance horses — and he proved that here again. He carried top weight of 126 pounds today (Saturday) and I would figure it was a workmanlike victory by Perfect Neighbour. I mean Hover Craft is in good form and so too Dontae , and so he did well to win today.

“Basically, the plan was to sit close behind the leader who was Another Bullet, and Omar [Walker] rode a great race and when he asked his mount to run he just turned him [ Perfect Neighbour] outside and got a clear run.

“He [ Perfect Neighbour] is a tough knocking horse who is not as good as She’s A Maneater or Bigdaddykool right now but he can hold his own. He is eight years old and he is not as tough and spongy as he was at three and four, but he will get the job now and then,” DaCosta told The Supreme Racing Guide.

Perfect Neighbour sat in fourth place behind the early pace as Another Bullet (Dane Nelson) took the field around the clubhouse turn, chased by Hover Craft a length down and a gap to Supertronics.

From the next four furlongs, Another Bullet and Hover Craft continued to test each other on the lead with Perfect Neighbour getting closer with every stride.

Turning for home, Perfect Neighbour was taken four wide, with Another Bullet fading and the race was left for the three – Perfect Neighbour, with Hover Craft on his inside and Dontae against the inside rails.

With an exciting last half-furlong (100m), Perfect Neighbour proved the strongest of the lot and got home in the end for his first victory of the season.