Skims (GB) (Frankel {GB}) took over on the GII Sands Point S. turn under Hall of Famer John Velazquez and kept finding from there to turn the tables on Vergara (Noble Mission {GB})–who beat her by a head last time in the Dueling Grounds Oaks–while giving her superstar sire yet another graded winner. Victorious in her first two turf routes, the Andrew Rosen homebred was subsequently third in the GII Appalachian S. at Keeneland in April and again in Belmont's GII Wonder Again S. over yielding sod June 9. Fifth in the GIII Lake George S. at the Spa July 22, she disappointed as the favorite when seventh in that venue's restricted Riskaverse S. Aug. 25, but bounced back last time to be second when stretched to 1 5/16 miles at Kentucky Downs.
Away well from the rail, Skims tugged her way forward to sit just behind the leading duo and outside of familiar foe Vergara. She continued to apply pressure to the top two after an easy half in :50.90, and took over midway on the bend as frontrunner Hail To (Kitten's Joy) dropped anchor and backed up into Vergara. Skims was a couple lengths clear as she pointed for home and she comfortably fended off Vergara from there. Favored Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf heroine, could only manage fourth from the back of the pack.
“She had really trained well since her last race,” said winning Hall of Fame conditioner Shug McGaughey, who was celebrating his second Sands Point win. “We were kind of in between this one and the [GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup] at Keeneland. [Owner/breeder] Andrew [Rosen] thought this race might be the right spot and when he said that I felt the same way. We figured it could come up a little more to our liking and all she had to do was ship down the road.”
He added, “I said from the inside, I thought if [Velazquez] broke well, then maybe he would be on the lead. He felt those two horses would go and he said he just wanted to reverse from what beat her at Kentucky Downs. He said he held her in there and then when he went, he said he had a lot of horse.”
McGaughey said the GI American Oaks Dec. 26 at Santa Anita could be a next target for Skims.
Rosen is an investor in the Kim Kardashian co-founded clothing and shapewear brand Skims.
“It's amazing. It's good to have a plan and have it come together and work out the way it did,” said Rosen, the retail and fashion executive best known for founding fashion label Theory.
“[Frankel] has really taken over, I think, as the best sire in the world. I was wondering when my Frankel was finally going to win a stake and it's exciting that it was today and I could be here.”
Saturday, Belmont
SANDS POINT S.-GII, $200,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-15, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:51.14, gd.
1–SKIMS (GB), 118, f, 3, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Royal Decree, by Street Cry (Ire)
2nd Dam: Ticker Tape (GB), by Royal Applause (GB)
3rd Dam: Argent Du Bois, by Silver Hawk
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($235,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/B-Andrew Rosen (GB); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-John R. Velazquez. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 9-3-1-2, $281,485. *1/2 to War Decree (War Front), GSW-Eng, GSW-Ire, $312,212. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Vergara, 118, f, 3, Noble Mission (GB)–Figure of Beauty, by Street Cry (Ire). ($130,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Gary Broad; B-Neil Jones (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $40,000.
3–Eminent Victor, 118, f, 3, Mr. Z–Juliet Victor, by Unusual Heat. O-Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, LLC (Stuart Grant), Louis Lazzinnaro LLC and Michael J. Caruso; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $24,000.
Margins: 1, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 4.60, 3.65, 4.20.
Also Ran: Pizza Bianca, Spirit And Glory (Ire), Canisy, Hail To, Lady Baffled. Scratched: Baby Man, Golden Rocket.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
Pedigree Notes:
It's a rare weekend that doesn't have a group/graded winner by Frankel, who ranks among the elite sires in the world with his 103 black-type winners from a mere seven crops of racing age. Skims is the Banstead Manor Stud's 73rd group/graded winner worldwide and he's one of the truly special stallions who can boast Grade/Group 1 winners on four continents: Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America.
Skims is out of an unplaced Street Cry (Ire) mare, a $385,000 Keeneland November broodmare purchase by Hugo Merry Bloodstock in 2012. Now the dam of two GSWs, including War Decree (War Front) in England, Royal Decree is out of Ticker Tape (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}), whose GISWs included the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. in 2004. Ticker Tape traces to the spectacular mare Terlingua (Secretariat), her fourth dam, through that legend's GSW daughter Chapel of Dreams (Northern Dancer). English G1SW Crowded House (GB) (Rainbow Quest) and French G1SW Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) are part of this family, but most significant is Terlingua's GISW and breed-shaping son, Storm Cat (Storm Bird).
Royal Decree had fillies the last two years: a now-yearling by Lope de Vega (Ire) and a foal by Kingman (GB). She is back in foal to Too Darn Hot (GB). Skims is the 120th black-type winner out of a Street Cry daughter, four of which have been by Frankel.
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