Swiss Skydiver | Horse Racing Free Tips

Dam of Swiss Skydiver to Keeneland November

Expo Gold (Johannesburg), the dam of Saturday’s GI Preakness S. winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) will be offered in foal to multiple GI winner Catholic Boy Nov. 9 in on the first day of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The 12-year-old will be consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

“Swiss Skydiver’s Preakness win puts her in rarified air alongside other iconic fillies like Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra and Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors,” said Mark Taylor, Taylor Made’s Vice President of Marketing and Public Sales Operations. “We are excited to offer her dam, Expo Gold, at Keeneland in November. Her mating to Catholic Boy follows the same cross as Swiss Skydiver and as Expo Gold’s 4-year-old stakes-placed filly, Miss Hot Legs.”

In the Preakness, Swiss Skydiver outdueled Kentucky Derby winner Authentic in a thrilling stretch battle and won the 1 3/16-mile race by a neck in 1:53.28-second only to Secretariat’s 1973 stakes record of 1:53. She became only the sixth filly to win the Preakness. This year, Swiss Skydiver also has won the GI Alabama, GII Santa Anita Oaks, GII Gulfstream Park Oaks and GIII Fantasys. She was second in the GI Kentucky Oaks, and in the GII Toyota Blue Grass against males.

“The 2020 Preakness showcased the heart and tenacity of two great Thoroughbreds, and we’ll never forget their stretch battle,” Keeneland President-Elect and Interim Head of Sales Shannon Arvin. “Keeneland is so proud that our September Yearling Sale produced both Swiss Skydiver and Authentic, and now we are especially honored to be able to offer Swiss Skydiver’s dam, Expo Gold, at the November Sale.”

Like Swiss Skydiver’s sire, Daredevil, Catholic Boy is a son of More Than Ready. Catholic Boy was a Grade I winner on turf and dirt before beginning his stud career at Claiborne Farm in 2020.

In addition to Expo Gold, two other members of Swiss Skydiver’s family are cataloged to Book 1 of the November Sale:

Half-sister Is It Gold, a winning daughter of Indygo Shiner in foal to Nyquist, is consigned by South Point Sales Agency, agent.
Hunter Valley Farm, agent, consigns Miss Hot Legs (Verrazano), and also by a son of More Than Ready, as a broodmare prospect.

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McPeek Says Classic Distance a Better Fit for Swiss Skydiver

While putting off a final decision regarding which Breeders’ Cup race GI Preakness S. winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) will run in, trainer Ken McPeek said Sunday morning that he prefers running his filly at a mile-and-a-quarter, the distance of the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. His other option is the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, which is run at a mile-and-an-eighth.

“It’s a little early and we don’t have to make a decision right now but I do like her at the mile-and-a-quarter,” he said. “The further, the better. She gets to settle in a nice rhythm and that distance, I really like it better.”

McPeek said he would consider other factors, including the likely competition in each of the two Breeders’ Cup races.

“I don’t have to decide now,” he said. “We’ll look at the sheets and the past performances on the probables as we get closer. We will figure it out. Like I said, I like her at a mile-and-a-quarter better. I still would like to look at who is expected, how she holds up on paper and then we will decide how she is doing and where we needs to land.”

McPeek said his filly came out of the Preakness win in perfect shape.

“Last night she finished her feed early,” he said. “That’s not something you can train. They have to have that constitution and she’s got it.”

At age 5, Zenyatta won the Classic in 2009. She is the only filly or mare to have won the race.

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Drury ‘Didn’t See A Whole Lot For Excuses’ For Art Collector

Trainer Tommy Drury Jr. looked Art Collector over Sunday morning and said the colt was in good shape coming out of Saturday's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes 145 dat Pimlico in Baltimore, Md. Bruce Lunsford's homebred son of Bernardini ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr. ended up fourth, a head behind Jesus' Team.

Art Collector, the 2-1 second choice in the wagering, was Drury's first Triple Crown starter and came into the Preakness unbeaten in four starts this year.

“I didn't see a whole lot for excuses. For whatever reason he just didn't quite have that normal turn of foot that we see from him,” Drury said. “Around the first turn it looked like Brian tried to kind of get out and couldn't quite get that done. Down the backside he tried to take the same spot that Swiss Skydiver took and unfortunately didn't have enough horse to get there. No excuses at this point. We're going to take our hat off to the filly. She ran great and I'm thrilled for Kenny. We'll get back home and regroup and figure out where we want to go next.”

Drury said one of the options for the colt is the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

“It certainly is a possibility, along with a lot of other races,” Drury said. “I think the big thing is to get him back home and make sure he's OK. He seems to be fine this morning.”

A minor foot injury kept Art Collector out of the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, but he was ready for the Preakness, which Drury called “the biggest day of my life.”

“It was exciting,” Drury said. “I wish we could have ran a little better, but that being said I'm proud of my horse. He took me to a place I never got to go to before. We're going to be fine. We just need to regroup a little bit and figure out what to do next.”

Grupo Seven C Stable LLC's Jesus' Team, who finished third at 40-1, exited the Preakness in good order, said trainer Jose D'Angelo.

“I'm very happy for my horse and my team. My horse ran good. He ran a fast time in the stretch,” D'Angelo said. “Our next plan….maybe the Breeders' Cup.”

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Filly Swiss Skydiver Digs Deep To Deny Authentic, Capping One-Of-A-Kind Triple Crown With Preakness Victory

A bold mid-race move by new jockey Robby Albarado saw the filly Swiss Skydiver (11-1) get the jump on Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (3-2) in Saturday's 145th running of the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. The Kentucky Oaks runner-up slipped between the Bob Baffert-trained stablemates, Authentic and Thousand Words (7-1), on the backstretch, and grabbed the lead before the Hall of Famer John Velazquez cued the Derby winner to make his move.

The 3-year-old daughter of Daredevil lived up to her sire's name through a thrilling stretch battle, denying Authentic all the way through the wire to earn a hard-fought victory by a head and give trainer Kenny McPeek his first Preakness winner. As the 55th filly to start in the Preakness, Swiss Skydiver is the sixth to wear the winner's garland.

Owned by Peter Callahan, Swiss Skydiver also ran the second-fastest Preakness in history, completing 1 3/16 miles over Pimlico's fast main track in 1:53.28.

It was a fitting end to the 2020 Triple Crown, a series filled with twists and turns as the international coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on racing schedules worldwide. All three legs were held without fans as a result, and all three were won by different horses. The Belmont Stakes, typically the third in the series, was held first this year on June 20 (won by Tiz the Law), and the distance was shortened from 1 1/2 to 1 1/8 miles. The Kentucky Derby was held next on Sept. 5, and was won by Authentic, while the Preakness was rescheduled to Oct. 3.

Also unique to 2020, the Preakness was a Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win and You're In” contest for the Classic. Thus, Swiss Skydiver earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic by virtue of her victory.

Swiss Skydiver was very sharp at the start of the Preakness, bumping a bit with Art Collector to her inside as Albarado muscled the filly toward the lead. However, the jockeys aboard Thousand Words and Authentic seemed to have similar game plans, as that pair made their way toward the rail just ahead of her.

Albarado did make it to the rail with Swiss Skydiver as Art Collector moved to her outside, and she was able to save ground through the clubhouse turn as Thousand Words led his Derby-winning stablemate through a first quarter in 24.48 seconds. Pneumatic made it a three-wide group across the track in the second flight, with Art Collector between horses.

After Thousand Words led through a half-mile in :47.65, Albarado saw an opening between the two stablemates ahead of him. He angled Swiss Skydiver off the rail and sent her through between horses, perhaps taking Velazquez by surprise aboard Authentic.

Albarado had Swiss Skydiver on the lead through six furlongs in 1:11.24, with Velazquez sending Authentic around her outside to challenge nearing the head of the lane. Thousand Words spit the bit and Art Collector was digging in and trying to rally, but it was all Swiss Skydiver and Authentic for the stretch run.

Swiss Skydiver had a half-length advantage on Authentic and was fiercely game, making the Derby winner work for every inch of ground. Authentic did gain on her nearing the wire, but Swiss Skydiver flattened her ears and got her head down on the wire in from. Authentic had to settle for second.

It was another seven or so lengths back to Jesus' Team to fill out the trifecta, while Art Collector checked in fourth. Max Player, the only horse to run in all three Triple Crown races this year, finished fifth. The remaining order of finish was: Excession, Mr. Big News, Thousand Words, Ny Traffic, Pneumatic, and Liveyourbeastlife.

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Swiss Skydiver is out of the winning Johannesburg mare Expo Gold. McPeek picked her out at the Keeneland September sale and purchased the filly with a final bid of $35,000. Since then, she's gone on to win the G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, G3 Fantasy, G2 Santa Anita Oaks, and the G1 Alabama, while finishing second in both the G2 Blue Grass Stakes (to Preakness fourth-place finisher Art Collector) and in the G1 Kentucky Oaks (to Shedaresthedevil).

Swiss Skydiver has compiled a record of six wins, three seconds and a third from 11 starts, with earnings nearing $1.8 million.

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