The retirement of a runner like Hessica is bound to leave a hole in any racing stable. Fortunately for Kristy Petty, Petty Perfect’s arrival has been perfectly timed.

Hessica, a $400,000 earner and two-time winner of the West Virginia Cavada Breeders’ Classic, retired following a runner-up effort in the Cavada at the conclusion of her 2024 season. But after one Cavada-less campaign, Petty was back in the Cavada winner’s circle Saturday evening following Petty Perfect’s dominant 5 ¼-length win.

“She’s honest,” Petty said. “You can look at her form, and she’s always right there. She gives you 150 percent every time.”

She sure did tonight.

Bettors mainly had eyes for Overnight Pow Wow, this event’s defending champion, who went off at 7-10. But she had questions to answer, having run just four races this year, all at 4 ½ furlongs.

Overnight Pow Wow was involved in the early running, but she had company from Navy Band and Shewontalktome, and the result was a contested early pace, 23.54 seconds for the opener and 47.60 for the half-mile.

While that trio was duking it out in front, jockey J. D. Acosta had Petty Perfect biding her time in sixth, 4 ¼ lengths off the lead.

“I said, ‘Listen, I don’t care what they do. She always breaks good, but I’m gonna take her back, just put her on the rail,’” Acosta said.

“I did tell JD to wait as long as he could,” Petty agreed. “When you think you’ve waited long enough, wait longer.”

When he finally did put Petty Perfect in motion inside the quarter pole, she gobbled up ground, and the leaders, surging ahead in upper stretch and drawing off to win. Running time for seven furlongs on a fast main track was 1:27.22.

The Jeff Runco-trained The Sky Is Falling entered the race on a three-race heater and seemed to have recaptured the form that made her the best two-year-old filly at the track four years ago.

And she had Acosta’s attention.

“I always have to look for that seven-horse (The Sky Is Falling) that always beats me,” Acosta said. “Every time I move by the quarter-pole, the three-sixteenths, the seven comes running.”

Tonight, however, neither The Sky Is Falling nor any other runner was doing any significant running compared to Petty Perfect. The Sky Is Falling, a distant last for much of the contest, did rally into second, a half-length better than Shewontalktome. Overnight Pow Wow faded to fourth.

Petty Perfect, a four-year-old Candygram filly, that Petty bred and owns, as well as trains, won for the seventh time in 19 career starts. The winner’s share pushed her earnings past $210,000.

She paid $16.60 to win and topped an exacta that returned $22.70 for a one-dollar wager.

Petty said she expected to take Petty Perfect to the farm and give her some time off before bringing her back for next season. After that she could join Hessica, in foal to Candygram, in broodmare duties.

“She’ll come back one more year, and I’ll probably retire her, too,” Petty said. “When they’re good to me, I’m good to them.”