<table> </table> Perfect Drift, who first captured the attention of horse-racing fans in Kansas City and throughout the country with a third-place finish in the 2002 Kentucky Derby, is being retired.</p><p>Owner <strong>William Reed </strong>said the 9-year-old gelding will return to his Kansas City farm after being honored during a ceremony Saturday at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.</p><p>Perfect Drift is coming off a third-place finish in the Windy Sands Handicap on Sept. 1 at Del Mar. However, that was the only time he finished in the top three in four starts this year.</p><p>He was coming off a year in which he suffered a stress fracture in the left front cannon bone in 2007.</p><p>&#8220;We were hoping he would show us more this year,&#8221; Reed said. &#8220;We think it&#8217;s time to get him a different occupation.&#8221;</p><p>Perfect Drift won 11 of 50 career starts and earned $4,714,213, but he hadn&#8217;t been to the winner&#8217;s circle since winning the Washington Park Handicap on July 30, 2005, at Arlington Park.</p><p>He raced in the Breeders&#8217; Cup Classic five straight years between 2002 and 2006. His best showing was a third-place finish in 2005.</p><p>&#8220;Going to the Derby was very special,&#8221; Reed said, &#8220;and winning the Stephen Foster Handicap (in 2003) at Churchill Downs was rewarding, too. I still remember those early days. It was a wonderful experience.&#8221;</p><p>Perfect Drift captured the imagination of racing fans in Kansas City for most of his seven-year racing career. He wintered at the Reed&#8217;s farm south of town.</p><p>His third-place finish in the 2002 Kentucky Derby was the highest for a Kansas City horse since Lawrin won the 1938 Kentucky Derby.</p><p>Reed will decide what is next for Perfect Drift after he spends the winter in Kansas City. One option, Reed said, is for him to accept an invitation for Perfect Drift to go to the Derby Museum at Churchill Downs.</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> <strong><span class="infobox-head">Perfect Drift&#8217;s Memorable moments </span></strong><br /> <strong>&#8226;May 4, 2002</strong>: Gained national attention by finishing third in the Kentucky Derby, which was won by War Emblem. </p><p><strong>&#8226;June 14, 2003</strong>: Gained only career Grade I stakes win, capturing the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs. </p><p><strong>&#8226;Oct. 30, 2004</strong>: Finished fourth despite being shuffled back early in his third Breeders&#8217; Cup Classic. </p><p><strong>&#8226;July 30, 2005</strong>: Gained the 11th triumph of his career, capturing the Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park. </p><p><strong>&#8226;Oct. 29, 2005</strong>: Hit the board in the Breeders&#8217; Cup Classic for the first time, finishing third. </p><p><strong>&#8226;Nov. 4, 2006</strong>: Became the first horse to run in the Breeders&#8217; Cup Classic five times but wasn&#8217;t a factor, finishing eighth.</p><p><strong>&#8226;May 4, 2007</strong>: Finished fourth in the Alysheba Stakes in Louisville.</p><p></div>