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Champion Swiss Skydiver Makes Triumphant Return In Beholder Mile

Mission accomplished. Idle since a disappointing run in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 7, trainer Ken McPeek's reigning Eclipse Champion Filly Swiss Skydiver saved ground early and went on to register a powerful 2 ¾-length victory in Saturday's G1, $300,000 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita. Ridden by Robby Albarado, the 4-year-old filly by Daredevil got the distance in 1:36.18 as she cruised to the wire with her ears pricked.

With Bob Baffert's Golden Principal hustled to the lead from her number two post position, Swiss Skydiver, breaking from the rail, was attentive to the pace while fourth, just 2 ½ length off the lead around the clubhouse turn. Third at the rail, two lengths off of Golden Principal midway around the turn, Swiss Skydiver angled three-wide turning for home and surged to the front approaching the furlong pole as she went on to a very impressive win.

“Being on the inside, circumstances dictate that you need to get away clean to get some kind of a forward position,” said Albarado, who has now ridden her in her last three races, including a sensational neck victory over eventual Horse of the Year Authentic in the G1 Preakness Stakes Oct. 3. “I knew we had speed in the race but if I could get her in position, get her to clip off twelves every eighth (of a mile), she comes home pretty fast.

“Pretty much up the backside, every point I felt like she was right there with me the whole way. She was taking deep breaths around there. When I finally gave her some room there she took off. It was all her, I was just a passenger. … I look forward for the rest of the year with her.”

A winner of last year's G2 Santa Anita Oaks in June, Swiss Skydiver went on to win a pair of G1 races and a total of total of five graded stakes on the year. Off at 7-5 in a field of seven older fillies and mares on Saturday, she paid $4.80, $2.60 and $2.20.

“Yes, she met expectations, but you never know,” said McPeek, who has been at Santa Anita since Swiss Skydiver shipped in from her Gulfstream Park base on Tuesday. “The distance for me was a little bit of a worry because of the run to the first turn. But Robby does know her so well, to get her in 12s, just get her into a nice rhythm and let her make her run. You can't force anything with her, and if you go too fast early, she will wilt a little bit.

“She cruises through everything, even when she gallops. The feed tub's the biggest deal with her. I've never had a horse, colt or filly, eat like she does. It just makes my job so much easier.”

When asked where Swiss Skydiver, who ran at nine different tracks in 10 races last year, might make her next start, McPeek responded: “Maybe the Apple Blossom (G1 at Oaklawn Park April 17), maybe the La Troienne (G1 at Churchill Downs April 30), one of those two. … She's just really good, maybe we'll go hunt Monomoy Girl (2020 Eclipse Champion Older Dirt Female) now, we'll see.”

Purchased for $35,000 as a Keeneland September Yearling and owned by Peter J. Callahan, Swiss Skydiver, who is out of the More Than Ready mare Expo Gold, now has three G1 wins, and an overall mark of 13-7-3-1. With the Beholder winner's share of $180,000, she increased her earnings to $2,025,480.

Ridden by Mike Smith, As Time Goes By rallied five-wide turning for home and bested her stablemate Golden Principal by 1 ¾ lengths while never threatening the winner. The second choice in the wagering at 9-5, As Time Goes By paid $3.40 and $2.80.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Golden Principal did the heavy lifting early and tired late, but finished 2 ½ lengths clear of Harvest Moon. Off at 7-1, Golden Principal paid $3.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.14, 46.80, 1:11.19 and 1:23.54.

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D’Amato Finds Home In Turf Sprints For Gregorian Chant

Long regarded as a two-turn horse on grass, trainer Phil D'Amato's 5-year-old Gregorian Chant has found a home sprinting on turf at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he rallied from last to take Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 San Simeon Stakes by a neck while getting six furlongs on turf in 1:08.79 under Juan Hernandez—his second consecutive turf stakes win at the distance.

Unhurried early from his number two post position, Gregorian Chant was into the bridle, about four lengths off the lead while a joint fifth heading to the far turn as heavily favored Jolie Olimpica showed the way. Moving easily around the turn, Hernandez wheeled four-deep turning for home and in a thriller, outran Sombeyay and Flavien Prat late.

“He broke slow and I just let him get comfortable (on the backstretch) and then when we went into the stretch, Phil told me to get him rolling and that's what I did,” said Hernandez, who also orchestrated a 2 ¼-length win in the ungraded Clockers' Corner Stakes on Jan. 24. “It's exciting fighting with another horse, going head and head, you feel excited and you feel strong. You just want to win the race.”

Off at 7-2 in a field of six older horses, Gregorian Chant, who was bred in England, paid $9.80, $4.20 and $2.20.

“It took us awhile to figure out what he wanted to do,” said D'Amato. “This horse has found his home sprinting, no question. There's so much difference in him now, compared to him at three and four (years old). He' matured a lot and we will definitely keep him short.”

Ridden by Flavien Prat and trained by Peter Miller, Sombeyay was attentive to the pace, made the lead turning for home and couldn't hold the winner off while finishing 2 ½ lengths in front of Jolie Olimpica. Off at 4-1, Sombeyay paid $4.80 and $2.60.

Richard Mandella's Brazilian-bred mare Jolie Olimpica, who went to the front out of the gate under Mike Smith and was head and head into and around the turn, couldn't run with the top two late and paid $2.10 to show while off at even money.

Fractions on the race were 22.72, 45.52 and 57.32.

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Swiss Skydiver Doesn’t ‘Miss’ A Beat In Beholder Mile

After a disappointing effort when last seen in the Nov. 7 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil)returned to the brilliant form that earned her an Eclipse Award last season with a good-looking score in her seasonal bow Saturday at Santa Anita in the GI Beholder Mile. It was her second win from as many starts in Arcadia, having captured last term's GII Santa Anita Oaks.

Away in good order from her rail draw, the 7-5 chalk secured a comfortable position ina ground-saving fourth as Golden Principal (Constitution) hustled up to take control with Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo) keeping her honest in second through a :23.14 opening quarter. Inching up inside of Harvest Moon as the half-mile went in :46.80, the chestnut patiently awaited racing room on the backstretch run and split the top two to make a race of it turning for home. Pouncing on Golden Principal in early stretch, Swiss Skydiver “waved goodbye,” as announcer Frank Mirahmadi said, powering clear under a hand ride from Robby Albarado to win as she pleased by 2 3/4 lengths. The regally bred As Time Goes By (American Pharoah–Take Charge Lady) took the overland route to be second and her pacesetting stablemate Golden Principal held third.

“Pretty much up the backside, every point I felt like she was right there with me the whole way,” Albarado said. “She was taking deep breaths around there. When I finally gave her some room there she took off. It was all her, I was just a passenger…I look forward for the rest of the year with her.”
“Yes, she met expectations, but you never know,” said trainer Ken McPeek, who has been at Santa Anita since Swiss Skydiver shipped in from her Gulfstream Park base Tuesday. “The distance for me was a little bit of a worry because of the run to the first turn. But Robby does know her so well, to get her in :12s, just get her into a nice rhythm and let her make her run. You can't force anything with her, and if you go too fast early, she will wilt a little bit.”

Swiss Skydiver's won five of her 10 starts in her Eclipse-winning sophomore season, all at different racetracks. Her first victory of the season came in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks last March and followed suit with a win in Oaklawn's GIII Fantasy S. in May. Wiring the Santa Anita Oaks last June, the $35,000 KEESEP buy took on males for the first time in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. in July and finished a respectable second to Art Collector (Bernardini).

Cruising home to a clear-cut victory in Saratoga's prestigious GI Alabama S. last August, Swiss Skydiver checked in second to Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) in the GI Kentucky Oaks Sept. 4. Trainer Kenny McPeek was confident enough to send his star filly on to the GI Preakness S. Oct. 3 and she rewarded his and owner Peter Callahan's faith with a gritty score of GI Kentucky Derby winner and now Horse of the Year Authentic (Into Mischief). Installed as the second choice in the Distaff at Keeneland, Swiss Skydiver stumbled at the start and never really got into the race, finishing seventh to two-time champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar).

Pedigree Notes:

Swiss Skydiver completed a cross-country graded double for her young sire Daredevil, following Shedaresthedevil's win in the GII Azeri S. at Oaklawn. Those two fillies from the new Lane's End sire's first crop are his only two Grade I/graded winners thus far and are two of five black-type winners for the stallion, who recently returned to Kentucky after spending a year in Turkey. Swiss Skydiver is also one of 20 graded victors and 45 black-type scorers out of a daughter of Johannesburg.

The winner's dam Expo Gold brought just $13,000 from Los Santos Customs her first time through the Keeneland November ring in 2017, carrying Swiss Skydiver's full-brother. The resulting colt, the now 3-year-old Inspector General, fetched just $4,000 from Southern Racing at Keeneland September the following year. Expo Gold's next auction appearance was at the 2019 CTBA January Mixed Sale, selling to Blue Chip Thoroughbreds for $15,000 in foal to Danzing Candy. She produced that colt the following April and failed to get back in foal to that California stallion. The 13-year-old mare returned to the Keeneland November ring last term, but this time she summoned $950,000 from Hunter Valley Farm, while carrying a foal from the first crop of GI Travers S. winner Catholic Boy. Two of her daughters sold at the same auction with her first foal Is It Gold (Indygo Shiner) bringing $230,000 from Titletown Racing Stables in foal to Nyquist; and her 2016 foal Miss Hot Legs (Verrazano) hammering for $500,000 to Coteau Grove Farms.

Saturday, Santa Anita
BEHOLDER MILE S.-GI, $301,000, Santa Anita, 3-13, 4yo/up, f/m, 1m, 1:36.18, ft.
1–SWISS SKYDIVER, 124, f, 4, by Daredevil
                1st Dam: Expo Gold, by Johannesburg
                2nd Dam: Clouds of Gold, by Strike the Gold
                3rd Dam: Cloudy Colors, by Personal Flag
($35,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Peter J. Callahan; B-WinStar Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek; J-Robby Albarado. $180,000.
Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo Filly, 13-7-3-1, $2,025,480. *1/2 to
Miss Hot Legs (Verrazano), SP, $151,620. Werk Nick Rating: A.
   Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–As Time Goes By, 120, f, 4, by American Pharoah
                1st Dam: Take Charge Lady (Broodmare Of The Year,
                                MGISW, $2,480,377), by Dehere
                2nd Dam: Felicita, by Rubiano
                3rd Dam: Grand Bonheur, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
O-Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale
& Chelston (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.
3–Golden Principal, 120, f, 4, by Constitution
                1st Dam: Gold D' Medaglia, by Medaglia d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Lemon Twist, by Seeking the Gold
                3rd Dam: Danzig Island, by Danzig
($35,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP; $200,000 2yo '19 OBSAPR).
O-Karl Watson, Michael Pegram & Paul Weitman; B-CESA Farm
(FL); T-Bob Baffert. $36,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 1 3/4, 2HF. Odds: 1.40, 1.90, 7.20.
Also Ran: Harvest Moon, This Tea, Clockstrikestwelve, Miss Stormy D. Scratched: Sanenus (Chi).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Prat Wins Six Consecutive Races At Santa Anita

Although he finished second in Friday's first race, Santa Anita's leading rider Flavien Prat was very much undeterred, as he proceeded to boot home the winners of the next six consecutive races, culminating with a masterful ride going a mile and one quarter on turf in the seventh race of the day at the Arcadia, Calif., track aboard the Richard Baltas-trained Disappearing Act—his final mount of the day.

“It's been a great day, I'm very fortunate, I was on good horses today and things turned out my way,” said Prat, 28, who now leads Santa Anita's Winter/Spring Meet jockey standings by a 56-42 margin over Juan Hernandez.

Does winning number six in a row at a mile and a quarter down the hillside turf course make this accomplishment any more special?

“When you win six, it doesn't really matter, but it feels good,” said Prat. “The turf course is really good. With the rain we've had, I thought they did a crazy job getting it in shape and it's been a pleasure to ride on it. I thought I had some good chances today, but how many times have I thought I had a good chance and come back with nothing?

“Things have to go your way and some things are out of my hands, but there are days that no matter what you do, it's going to be the right thing, so you have to take advantage of it because it's not always like this.”

Fifth at the rail and full of run a quarter mile from home, Prat swung four deep at the top of the stretch and Disappearing Act held off a stiff challenge from Witch Moon and Hernandez to prevail by a hard-fought head.

Off as the even money favorite in a field of eight maiden fillies and mares three and up, Disappearing Act, who is owned and bred in Kentucky by BHMFR, LLC, paid $4.20 to win and covered the mile and one quarter over a turf listed as “good” in 2:05.25.

Prat's earlier winners on Friday were: R2 #6 Dr. Hoffman ($3.20); R3 #2 Ippodamia's Girl ($16.00); R4 #7 Missy P. ($2.80); R5 #7 Burnin Turf ($3.80); R6 #3 Rather Nosy ($4.00) and R7 #8 Disappearing Act ($4.20).

A two-time leading rider at Santa Anita's Winter/Spring stand, Prat, who was born on Aug. 4, 1992, in Melun, France, becomes the first Santa Anita jockey to win six consecutive races since Laffit Pincay, Jr. did it on March 14, 1987 — en route to winning a record seven races on the day.

Prat becomes the 10th jockey to win six races in one day at Santa Anita, joining Bill Shoemaker (Feb. 23, 1962); Pincay (twice, on Feb. 17, 1973, & March 4, 1981); Steve Valdez (Oct. 15, 1973); Sandy Hawley (twice, on Feb. 20, 1976, & March 26, 1976); Darrel McHargue (twice, on March 5, 1978 & Oct. 25, 1979); Patrick Valenzuela (Oct. 21, 1988); Martin Pedroza (Oct. 31, 1992); Corey Nakatani (April 23, 2000) and Rafael Bejarano (April 8, 2006).

With Prat named to ride eight horses, racing resumes with a nine-race card on Saturday. First post time is at 12:30 p.m. PT.

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