Full Field for The Skipping Away
One of the several Graded races in Florida this week is the first running of The Skipping Away. This is a Grade III race that will cover 9 furlongs over the fast dirt for a purse of $150,000. It is open to all horses 4yo and up and we have a full field competing. There are several horses who will be facing off against one another after other races and a few that are questionable as to why they are here.
Let’s meet the field:
PP1 DISTURB (Dehere x Broad Brush x Forty Niner)
Trainer: thunor Jockey: R Maire Odds: 13/1
After breaking his maiden his first time on the track back in 2007, this 4yo colt had 2 Graded Stakes attempts; the 6 furlong Grade II Faber College Challenge in July, 2007 and then immediately after that the 8 furlong, Grade III Pea Patch Juvenile where he placed sixth in both. After that, he has spent his entire career in Allowance races where he would bring home 4 wins out of 21 starts. This would make one wonder why the jump to a Grade III and I believe that can be answered with the career high speed of 113 his last time out at the end of February in an 8.5 furlong where he charged from 10th place to finish first 1 3/4 lengths ahead of the pack. One thing that stands out to me, though, is although he has raced at distances up to 14 furlongs, none of his wins have been over 8.5 furlongs. He has definitely been showing improvement each time out on the track his last 4 times out so the 9 furlong distance may not be a problem for him. This is one horse to keep your eyes on in this race. Even with odds of 13/1, he may be the one to cause the upset at the wire.
PP2 OLIVERGATE (Tiznow x A. P. Indy x Machiavellian)
Trainer: mtkgrs3 Jockey: V Roberts Odds: 24/1
This 4yo began his career in October, 2007 and didn’t break his maiden until July, 2008 in a 9 furlong Maiden Claimer. He has spent most of his career in Maiden Special Weights, Maiden Claimers, regular Claimers, one Starter and four Allowance races. Other than his Maiden win, he has one Claimer win at 8 furlongs and 2 Allowance wins at 8.5 furlongs. I really have to wonder why the jump to Graded Stakes with this horse right now. His last four times out, he managed speeds over 100 but only reached a high speed of 105. This horse looks to be an excellent Allowance horse and possibly would do well in Non-Graded but I think the jump to a Grade III is a little premature with him and he is outclassed in this field. Perhaps with a little more racing experience, a Grade III would be possible but I really don’t see him as much of a threat this week against this field.
PP3 FRONTIOS (Tricky Six x Kingmambo x Seeking the Gold)
Trainer: star64 Jockey: N Torres Odds: 27/1
This 4yo colt is another in this field that I really have to question just what he is doing in a Graded race. This $25,000 Claimer ran a 108 his last time out in the 10 furlong Claimer that landed him in star64’s barn. After beginning his career in April, 2007, he spent all of 2007 and most of 2008 in Allowance races on the dirt and turf before being put into a Claimer where he was claimed by trainer metswim who kept him in Claimers and a Starter with one Allowance race thrown in. Out of 23 career starts, he only has one Allowance win and the rest of his 6 wins are Claimers, one Starter and his Maiden. A speed of 108 is not anything to sneeze at, don’t get me wrong but I think that he is not ready to go up against the competition this field is bringing in. I would like to see him in more Allowance wins and possibly some Non-Graded wins before making the jump to Graded.
PP4 MISGUIDED ASSASSIN (Giant’s Causeway (IRE) x Seeking the Gold x Sadler’s Wells)
Trainer: babalan Jockey: V Gardner Odds: 5/1
After beginning his career on the turf and breaking his maiden his first time out, this 4yo was definitely not misguided when he was switched to the dirt his fourth time out. Jumping from speeds in the 80’s to 101 his first time on the dirt was a definite indication the dirt track was where he belonged. He’s only been racing for a year with 13 starts, 10 of the starts on the dirt and in all 10 of the runs, he has repeated kept his speeds in the 100’s with a career high speed of 116 back in December in the 8.5 furlong ASSUME THE POINT Challenge Non-Graded Stakes where he was first under the wire 3 lengths ahead of the field. That was his third Non-Graded Stakes run, after spending his earlier career in Allowance company, and second Non-Graded win. His next win wouldn’t be until his last time out, 3 races later, in the 8.5 furlong ADMIRAL TEJANO Stakes where he won by almost 3 lengths again. This will be his first Graded Stakes attempt.
PP5 CAPITAN ALATRISTE (Thunder Gulch x War Chant x Shirley Heights)
Trainer: fernando2 Jockey: Z White Odds: 14/1
Just looking at this 4yo colt’s last three starts makes me think “Wow”. After beginning his career in November, 2007 on the turf and breaking his maiden on the grass, he remained there in Allowance races on the turf for a year but was unable to capture a win other than his maiden win, but his speeds were improving, especially when run in two consecutive off turf tracks. Immediately following these two races, where he finished 2nd in both, he was tried on the dirt and finally broke speeds of 100. Surprisingly, though, he wouldn’t win that race and actually wouldn’t win until three races later in an 8 furlong Allowance with a much slower speed of 96. But that began his impressive last three races that has me looking him over with a nod of approval. His last two times out he was raced in Non-Graded Stakes races, one at 8.5 and one at 9 furlongs and he won both with ease. In the 8.5 SISTER’S PELIKAN Stakes, the track was listed as sloppy and he reached a high speed of 114. In the 9 furlong WISDOM TOOTH (IRE) Memorial, the track was listed as good and he won with a speed of 111. These are two very good improvements, however, the track conditions may be his downfall. Even when running on the turf he didn’t increase his speeds until he ran on an off track and this week we have a fast dirt track. It will be interesting to see how he’ll perform.
PP6 CREDIT CHARGED (Generous (IRE) x Alzao x Shirley Heights (GB))
Trainer: maui Jockey: W Case Odds: 7/1
Sometimes horses do great as 2 and 3yo’s and then are sent to the breeding shed before they have a chance to go downhill. With others, it takes time and experience for their true colors to show. This is the case with the 4yo Credit Charged. This horse began his career as a 2yo in Sept., 2007 but did not begin to show his true speeds until halfway through 2008. This one time claimer began reaching speeds in the 90’s and before long topped out at a career high speed of 113 back on Feb. 28 in the 8 furlong, Grade III, Not Far Stakes where he placed second still closing in on the leader. It was clear that he just ran out of racing room. His last time out, the Grade III Winchester Cap, another 8 furlong race, was another repeat performance of where he ran out of racing room, only this time placing 6th. Trainer maui is hoping the jump up to 9 furlongs will give him that extra room that he needs to bring home his first Graded win.
PP7 HURRICANE ISLAND (Rockport Harbor x Sadler’s Wells x Nearctic)
Trainer: gonads Jockey: Y Fairington Odds: 12/1
Looking over this 4yo colt’s record, I see an animal that really seems to like variety in his life. He has run at distances ranging from 5 to 14 furlongs and on both grass and dirt. He has been run in one Claimer, a couple of Starters, many Allowance and Non-Graded Stakes, one Grade III and one Grade II and has at least one win in all except the Graded races. One thing that really stands out to me is that with the exception of one Non-Graded Stakes win early on in his career, all of his wins have come immediately when he was switched surfaces. It didn’t matter if it was from grass to dirt or the other way around but that’s how his career has gone. His last time out was in the Grade II Jai Alai Park Handicap where he reached a career high speed of 111 and placed second only half a length off the lead. I reviewed the race to see if he had just run out of racing room but it was actually that half a length that cost him the race as Summer Wine passed him just before the wire. Maybe the decrease in distance back to 9 furlongs will give him his first Graded win this week.
PP8 DEL PENN SUPERARSE (Forest Camp x Gone West x Danzig)
Trainer: vigilante Jockey: M McMurty Odds: 10/1
This 5 yo colt will step onto the track with 8 career wins under his girth on both fast and sloppy tracks and with career earnings of over half a million dollars. Not bad for all of his wins being Non-Graded and Allowance wins. He has won at distances up to 12 furlongs so 9 furlongs will be no problem for him. What may be a problem is the fact that he only has a high speed of 111 which isn’t bad but he doesn’t seem to be very consistent with holding his high speeds for long. In other words, he’ll do great with his speeds for a few races then it’s back down to the 80’s and 90’s. His last three races out he achieved speeds of 104, 109 and 111 in that order which showed improvement with each race. If he can keep that improvement going, then he’s got a good shot here in his first Graded attempt. If he does win, it will make his third in a row after a 9.5 furlong Allowance win and the 10 furlong Non-Graded OUR TANS Challenge his last time out.
PP9 EDISON LIGHTHOUSE (Red Ransom x Theatrical (IRE) x Danzig)
Trainer: catamount1 Jockey: A Darling Odds: 8/1
First off, I have to say that I love the breeding on this 4yo colt. Danzig is one of my favorites and when you team up his bloodlines with Theatrical and Red Ransom you are going to have a nice horse. After 3 attempts on the grass his first three times out, he was switched to the dirt and began as a very nice Allowance horse, winning 6 of his Allowance races and only finishing out of the money twice in his entire career on the dirt. The distance is right up his alley as well since 6 of his 9 career wins have been at distances between 9 and 10 furlongs. He was placed into Non-Graded Stakes races his last three starts and began proving himself as a nice Non-Graded horse as well, winning 2 out of the three. His only loss was his last time out where he lost to Legendary Thief in The TIEFLY’S DANZER Memorial. He reached a career high speed in his first Non-Graded Stakes back in January where he easily won by 2 1/4 lengths looking as if he could go around the oval again with ease. It will be interesting to see how he does in his first Graded attempt especially with his face off with Legendary Thief.
PP10 RUM RUNNERS (Buddha x Alydar x Dewan)
Trainer: sdmf Jockey: W Baumann Odds: 12/1
This 4yo colt has had a short career compared to most of this field with only 11 career starts that began back in July, 2008. Don’t let that fool you, though. From the looks of his record, he has a great career ahead of him as a 4yo. Out of those 11 starts he has 4 wins, 1 place and 5 shows and the 11th race he placed fourth and that was only his second start ever. After breaking his maiden he competed in Allowance races and held speeds of 100 or over in all but one, including one win on an off track. It was his next race after that, also on an off track, that he ran below 100 and it’s quite possible that having to endure off tracks twice in a row was just a little more than he could handle. He recuperated beautifully in February when he won an 8 furlong Allowance race with a very impressive career high speed of 113. His last time out was in the beginning of this month in the 9 furlong Non-Graded JIMMY THE GEEK Challenge. It would be his first Stakes attempt and he brought home 3rd. This week will be his first Graded Stakes attempt and if he can bring back the speed he has shown then he’s got a good shot at standing in the winner’s circle.
PP11 TULLOCH RANGE (Include x Carson City x Seattle Slew)
Trainer: tulloch Jockey: M Anderson Odds: 8/1
This 4yo colt has only been racing for a year this month but what a year it has been. Although it took him 3 tries to break his maiden, he went straight to allowance races and by his fifth time on the track was reaching speed over 100. For all of 2008, he remained in Allowance races where he only stood in the winner’s circle twice despite impressive speeds for an Allowance horse. Both of those wins were at 8 furlongs after earlier attempts at 8.5 and 9.5 furlongs. In the beginning of January, 2009, he was entered in his first Non-Graded stakes race, the 8.5 furlong WHAT UNDER GENE HANDICAP. With a career high speed of 115, he left the field in the dust right from the starting gate and cruised under the wire as if it was just a walk in the park. In February, he would pretty much repeat that performance under the same race conditions in the Non-Graded GO GO YUBARI Memorial, the only difference was a bit slower speed of 112. At the third call he was a very impressive 8 lengths ahead of the field although by the wire that margin dropped to 1 3/4 but he was still in the lead. This will be his first Graded attempt.
PP12 LEGENDARY THIEF (Cat Thief x General Meeting x Mr. Prospector)
Trainer: twister Jockey: L Buchta Odds: 6/1
This 5yo began racing back in 2006 and has 7 wins on his record. He has spent most of his career flip-flopping back and forth between Allowance and Non-Graded Stakes with one Grade II attempt (It’s All Your Fault Stakes) back in November, 2008. He’s been very consistent with speeds over 100 since August, 2007 and has only gone below 100 twice since. He reached a high speed of 112 twice, the first time in September, 2007 and the second time in December, 2008. He has spent most of his career at distances between 7.5 and 8.5 furlongs but has run 9 furlongs twice. His first time was early in his career and it was a disappointing run with a finish of 8th over 15 lengths back. His second time at 9 furlongs, however, was quite different. This was his last time out and it was in the Non-Graded TIEFLY’S DANZER (IRE) Memorial at the end of last month where he was first under the wire giving him his third Non-Graded Stakes win. This will be his second attempt at Graded Stakes but first attempt at a Grade III.
PP13 ALDERAAN (Aldebaran x Danzig x Private Account)
Trainer: aalusive Jockey: M Wright Odds: 7/1
This 7yo horse has had a very long career of racing that began back in February, 2004. He had one Non-Graded Stakes win back in 2004 and one in 2005 but since then all of his wins have been Allowance wins with some of the wins being on a sloppy track, showing that he can race in any conditions and still perform. He has been running in the 100’s consistently since August, 2008 and has one twice since then, both on sloppy tracks and the second with a career high speed of 109. His last time out was in the Grade II Saints Handicap where he competed against Mr. Skidmore. Where Mr. Skidmore finished last, Alderaan finished 4th, 3 1/4 lengths off the lead. This race will actually be his 3rd Graded Stakes attempt, his first being back in 2004 in the Grade I Hoserhead Juvenile where he finished 7th over 13 lengths back.
PP14 MR. SKIDMORE (Red Ransom x Sadler’s Wells x Mr. Prospector)
Trainer: xanderman Jockey: R Colette Odds: 23/1
This nice looking 5yo horse may be a little outclassed here in this race. Now, I am not putting him down by any means but after reviewing his record it appears as if he would perform better if kept in Non-Graded or Allowance races. After breaking his maiden on the turf and then remaining on the grass for a while, he was switched over to the dirt and began to show signs of speed. He’s got 2 Allowance wins and one Non-Graded Stakes win and has a career high speed of 108. A little slow when compared to others in this race. Back in January he ran in the Non-Graded 8.5 furlong ELK WIL Handicap where he placed 3rd, 3 lengths behind another horse in this race, Credit Charged who was first under the wire. His last race out was at the beginning of this month in the Grade II Saints Handicap where he proved that he does not favor a sloppy track and finished last over 15 lengths back. However, being a horse that is more consistent with being inconsistent may work in his favor this week and make me eat my words as he stands in the winner’s circle. We will just have to wait and see.
Legendary Thief x Edison Lighthouse x Credit Charged
I have to go with Legendary Thief in this race. He’s being consistent with his speeds and if he can continue to do so as well as improve then he’s got a good shot here this week. Edison Lighthouse will be right on his heels with Credit Charged missing that Graded win once again.
Good Luck and Happy Racing!!!!