Skims Becomes Newest Graded Winner For Frankel in Sands Point

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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Fluffy Socks Makes Late Run To Take Sands Point At Belmont

In the Grade 2 Sands Point at Belmont, Joel Rosario and Fluffy Socks gave trainer Chad Brown another stakes win over the Belmont Park turf, rallying late to win by a neck at the Elmont, N.Y., track.

From the opening strides of the 1 1/8-mile Sands Point, Higher Truth led the field of seven, controlling the pace with a one-length lead over Our Flash Drive. With fractions of :25.34 for the first quarter and :50.14 for the half-mile, the other Chad Brown trainee looked poised to take the race gate to wire. Behind her, Rosario held Fluffy Socks midpack, content to sit 4th or 5th until the stretch.

In the Belmont straight, Rosario took Fluffy Socks to the outside of front-runners Higher Truth and Our Flash Dive, with Runaway Rumour following. Fluffy Socks caught a tiring Higher Truth in the final sixteenth of a mile and then was able to hold off Runaway Rumour to win the G2 stakes by a neck.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:48.48. Find this race's chart here.

Fluffy Socks paid $10.20, $5.60, and $3.00. Runaway Rumour paid $10.80 and $4.30. Higher Truth paid $2.10.

Bred in Kentucky by owner Head of Plains Racing, Fluffy Socks is by Slumber (GB) out of the Kitten's Joy mare Breakfast Time. With her win in the G2 Sands Point, the 3-year-old filly has one win in five starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 10-4-3-1 and career earnings of $430,880.

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Brown Seeks Fifth Sands Point Win

Chad Brown has two good chances to score his third straight win, and fifth overall, in Belmont's GII Sands Point S. Saturday. Higher Truth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) broke her maiden and won a N1X allowance going 10 furlongs over this course in the spring and was third to the ill-fated Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in this venue's July 10 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S., which was also run at 1 1/4 miles. A close second in the GII Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. Aug. 8, the bay led throughout the early stages of the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational S. here Sept. 18, but was run down late, finishing a half-length second.

“I think she'll be able to handle the cutback. She's been training well,” Brown said to the NYRA notes team.

Higher Truth's stablemate Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}) returns to the east coast after a good run at Del Mar last time out. Winner of the GIII Jimmy Durante S. in SoCal last year, the bay rallied to be a close second in Aqueduct's Memories of Silver S. Apr. 18. A non-factor fifth in the GIII Wonder Again S. over course and distance June 3, she closed resolutely to be second in Saratoga's GIII Lake George S. July 23 and made another bold rally to be third in the GI Del Mar Oaks Aug. 21.

Harajuku (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) makes her first start for trainer Graham Motion here after previously being campaigned in Europe with trainer Andre Fabre. Winner of the G3 Prix Cleopatre S. May 1 at Saint-Cloud, the Flaxman homebred was off the board in her next four European starts, culminating in a fourth in the G2 Prix de la Nonette S. Aug. 21. The bay made her final start for Fabre at Belmont, a third in the Jockey Club Oaks.

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New York-Bred Runaway Rumour Returns To Graded Company In Sands Point

Lawrence Goichman's New York-homebred Runaway Rumour will look to make her third graded attempt a winning one in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Sands Point, a nine-furlong inner turf test for sophomore fillies at Belmont Park.

Trained by Jorge Abreu, the Flintshire bay captured the open-company Wild Applause traveling one-mile in June over the Belmont turf and followed with a pair of graded efforts at Saratoga Race Course, finishing fourth in the one-mile Grade 3 Lake George in July and second in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Lake Placid in August.

Runaway Rumour enters from a closing third in the one-mile Pebbles, an open-company test won by Spanish Loveaffair by 2 1/4-lengths over returning rival Jordan's Leo.

With Jose Lezcano up for the Pebbles from the outermost post 11, Runaway Rumor settled in ninth position before launching a five-wide rally in upper stretch to finish one length to Jordan's Leo.

“She shows up every time she runs and it's been against open [company],” Abreu said. “She always shows up. Last time, she was compromised with the post position in a big field of horses. She was maneuvering herself around there.”

Out of the Elusive Quality mare Elusive Rumour, Runaway Rumour is a half-sister to her multiple stakes-winning stablemate Myhartblongstodady – a 6-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy.

Abreu said the half-siblings are markedly different in demeanor.

“They have very different attitudes. Myhartblongstodady is a little tougher than she is,” Abreu said. “Runaway Rumour is doing great. She came out of her last race really well.”

Lezcano retains the mount from post 4.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown has entered Fluffy Socks and Higher Truth in search of a fifth Sands Point win following scores with Ball Dancing [2014], Uni [2017], New and Improved [2019] and a year ago with Tamahere.

Head of Plains Partners' homebred Fluffy Socks won 3-of-5 juveniles starts, closing out her campaign with a half-length score in the one-mile Grade 3 Jimmy Durante over firm Del Mar turf.

The Kentucky-bred daughter of Slumber is in search of her first win this season having posted a record of 4-0-2-1, including a closing third last out on August 21 in the nine-furlong Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks.

Brown said he expects Fluffy Socks to demonstrate her usual racing style after exiting post 7 under returning rider Joel Rosario.

“She's training quite well. She should show a late-closing turn of foot,” Brown said.

Michael Ryan, Jeff Drown and Team Hanley's multiple graded stakes placed Higher Truth, an Irish-bred daughter of Galileo, was unraced as a juvenile.

The talented bay graduated at second asking traveling 10 furlongs on the Belmont turf in April ahead of a 10-furlong allowance win at Belmont in June before hitting the board in all three legs of NYRA's Turf Triple series for fillies.

Higher Truth was a solid third in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational in July – a race that the winner, Santa Barbara, exited to win the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington Park.

In August, Higher Truth finished a game second to Belmont Oaks runner-up Con Lima in the 1 3/16-mile Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational ahead of a pacesetting second last out in the 11-furlong Jockey Club Oaks Invitational.

Brown said Higher Truth won't have any issue negotiating nine furlongs.

“I think she'll be able to handle the cutback. She's been training well,” Brown said.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. will step aboard for the first time from post 5.

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Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Michael J. Caruso's Plum Ali made the grade with a 2 1/4-length score in last year's Grade 2 Miss Grillo traveling 1 1/16-miles on the Belmont turf.

Although winless in six starts since the Miss Grillo, Plum Ali has hit the board twice with a third in the one-mile Grade 2 Appalachian in April at Keeneland in her seasonal debut, which was followed by a closing second in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Wonder Again in June at Belmont.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the First Samurai chestnut enters from a wide-rallying fifth in the Pebbles.

Manny Franco picks up the mount from post 6.

StarLadies Racing's Jordan's Leo made her first four starts on dirt, including a second-out graduation in April sprinting six furlongs at Gulfstream Park.

Following an even third in a 1 1/16-mile allowance test against older company in June over Big Sandy, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher entered Jordan's Leo in a nine-furlong optional-claiming event on the Saratoga turf August 11 and the Malibu Moon bay responded with a prominent half-length score over next-out allowance winner Town Avenger.

“I wasn't sure she was a turf horse early on, so we gave her an opportunity on the dirt,” Pletcher said. “We breezed her on turf and she showed a little improvement. Her allowance win at Saratoga verified that.”

Jordan's Leo enters from a forwardly-placed second in the Pebbles.

“She has tactical speed so she can put herself in a good spot depending on the pace scenario,” Pletcher said.

Luis Saez has the call from post 2.

Rounding out the field are Our Flash Drive [post 8, Dylan Davis], a graded-stakes winner on Tapeta and turf at Woodbine for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse; Harajuku [post 3, Junior Alvarado], a Group 3-winner in France in May, who finished third last out in her North American debut in the Jockey Club Oaks; and Chiefswood Stables' homebred Third Draft [post 1, Javier Castellano], runner-up in the restricted Riskaverse in August at the Spa.

The Sands Point is slated as Race 6 on Saturday's 10-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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