Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
TAKING THE LEAP
SWISS SKYDIVER BATTLES BOYS IN BLUE GRASS,
A filly is favored in the Blue Grass Stakes in July while sniffing around for a berth in the Kentucky Derby in September. Wait, what planet is this?
And so goes the racing world during a pandemic.
Swiss Skydiver, already safely in the Kentucky Oaks, will be looking to make the Kentucky Derby a tempting alternative for her connections as the 3-1 morning-line favorite Saturday in the 96th Blue Grass Stakes at spectator-free Keeneland in sultry Lexington, Ky.
Twelve male rivals – six on either side of her – will oppose Swiss Skydiver when she breaks from post 7 in becoming just the second filly to contest the Blue Grass since it was first run at Keeneland in 1937. Hattie Sue was fifth in the 1944 running.
“Why not?” said Kenny McPeek, who trains Swiss Skydiver for owner Peter Callahan. “Under different circumstances, we’d probably just run in the Ashland. But the filly is doing great and we thought this could be fun.”
Swiss Skydiver is by far the points leader for the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks after barreling through open-lengths victories this spring in the Gulfstream Oaks, Fantasy, and Santa Anita Oaks. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith rode the daughter of Daredevil for the first time in the June 6 Santa Anita Oaks and will be aboard her again Saturday as part of a 118-pound impost, five fewer than all the boys, who carry 123.
Clearly, McPeek and everyone else is interested to see how the filly’s form holds up in the Grade 2, $600,000 Blue Grass, a 1 1/8-mile race offering 170 points (100-40-20-10) toward the Sept. 5 Derby at Churchill Downs. Her Beyer Speed Figures in her last three races, starting with the Gulfstream Park Oaks, were 90, 99, and 95. Only Art Collector, who earned a 100 in winning a twoturn allowance on June 13 at Churchill, has a higher Beyer among Blue Grass entrants.
“She’s a talented filly,” said Ron Moquett, who sends out Man in the Can (post 5, Tyler Gaffalione), one of numerous capable challengers to Swiss Skydiver. “On past performances, she sure fits. I think Kenny made the right decision. I’m all for him taking advantage of the opportunity.”
Man in the Can, an Arkansas-bred, has won 4 of 5 starts, the latest a June 12 victory in a 1 1/8-mile allowance at Churchill. To illustrate the wide-open nature of the Blue Grass lineup, he’s one of eight starters pegged at from 5-1 to 12-1 by track linemaker Mike Battaglia.
Art Collector (post 3, Brian Hernandez Jr.) can be expected to force the pace, likely to be set by Shivaree (post 1, John Velazquez), a Gulfstream Park shipper whose claim to fame remains a runner-up finish at 80-1 in the March 28 Florida Derby behind Tiz the Law, the Belmont Stakes winner and Kentucky Derby favorite.
Other contenders include Mr. Big News, Basin, Rushie, and Enforceable.
Mr. Big News (post 4, Mitchell Murrill), a late-developing stretch-runner, will be making his first start since upsetting the April 11 Oaklawn Stakes at 46-1 for trainer Bret Calhoun.
Basin (post 8, Ricardo Santana Jr.) seeks his first victory since winning the Grade 1 Hopeful last September. The Steve Asmussen-trained colt has had three races this year, all at Oaklawn Park, with his latest resulting in a runnerup finish in a division of the May 2 Arkansas Derby.
Rushie (post 10, Javier Castellano), trained by Michael McCarthy, has a prime opportunity to flatter the form of major Derby hopefuls Honor A. P. and Authentic after finishing third behind them with a 97 Beyer in the June 6 Santa Anita Derby.
Enforceable (post 12, Joel Rosario) was a winter stalwart at Fair Grounds, winning the Lecomte and finishing second in a division of the Risen Star before running fifth in the March 21 Louisiana Derby in his last start. The late-closing Tapit colt spent the last threeplus months with trainer Mark Casse at his Ocala, Fla., training center.
“He needed the time,” Casse said. “The winter racing took a bit of a toll on him. Now I’m seeing a bigger, stronger horse, training extremely well, so we got lucky. I think he’s ready. He may not be 100 percent, but he should give a good effort.”
The balance of the Blue Grass field is Finnick the Fierce, Hard Lighting, Attachment Rate, Hunt the Front, and Tiesto.
The Blue Grass is carded as the ninth of 10 races, and the last of six straight graded stakes on easily the richest program of a five-day meet assembled in the aftermath of the spring-meet cancellation in April. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern, with the Blue Grass, a key link in all the late multi-race wagers, set for 5:30.
The preceding stakes are the Grade 2 Appalachian (race 4), Grade 1 Madison (race 5), Grade 2 Shakertown (race 6), Grade 1 Ashland (race 7), and Grade 1 Jenny Wiley (race 8).
Sunny skies and a high of 87 are in the Saturday forecast. Owing to all the revised scheduling, there is no major network coverage of the Blue Grass for the first time in years. All races are available on TVG.
Sunday is closing day, with two grass stakes, the Grade 2 Elkhorn and Grade 3 Transylvania, serving as features. Three-day weeks at Ellis Park resume July 17.