Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Swiss Skydiver works fast, heads to Beholder Mile
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Swiss Skydiver’s final work prior to her much-anticipated 4-year-old debut may not have gone exactly as trainer Ken McPeek planned here last Saturday, but it certainly went well enough for the Eclipse Award winner to get the green light to launch her 2021 campaign this coming Saturday in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita.
Swiss Skydiver began uneventfully when she broke off solo at the five-furlong pole shortly after the renovation break, with regular rider Robby Albarado aboard, having received special permission to work the recently crowned 2020 3-year-old filly champion. But she wound up getting some unexpected company when she was joined with a worker from the barn of trainer Ralph Nicks at the top of the stretch. The unexpected competition spurred Swiss Skydiver on to a final clocking of 58.02 seconds, after which she galloped out full of run, six furlongs in 1:11.05 before pulling up seven-eighths in 1:26.20.
“I wasn’t thrilled somebody else’s work horse hooked in with us,” McPeek said. “She was supposed to go in around a minute, but she got too aggressive with the company and went too fast. It is what it is, though, and she came out fine afterwards. It’s hard not to be satisfied with the work. All is good. She’s just ultra-sharp now. She’s ready to run.”
Swiss Skydiver, who upset eventual Horse of the Year Authentic in the 2020 Preakness, was scheduled to depart for California on Tuesday, according to McPeek.
Earlier on Saturday, long before dawn, McPeek sent out his Grade 1-winning 3-yearold filly Simply Ravishing to work four furlongs under cover of darkness in a lively 46.40, galloping out five-eighths in 59.60 before pulling up a full three-quarters in 1:12.60. The work was the fourth locally for the Grade 1 Alcibiades winner, who finished fourth, beaten just two lengths by Vequist, in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
“She also worked well, faster than I wanted, but she’s a fast horse,” McPeek said. “I think the last time I had one work a half-mile that fast here it was Take Charge Lady. But she’s an extremely talented filly. She’s already ahead of Swiss Skydiver at this point of her career. Swiss hadn’t even won a stakes this time last year, and just like her, Simply Ravishing does things really easily, too. Fingers crossed, she’ll have as good a 3-year-old season as [Swiss Skydiver] did.”
Although the Ashland is a possibility, McPeek said his plan at the moment is to kick off Simply Ravishing’s 3-year-old campaign in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks here March 27. Swiss Skydiver won the Gulfstream Park Oaks by 3 1/4 lengths last year.
While the stars of his stable will begin heading back to Kentucky over the next several weeks, McPeek said he plans to leave a string of horses down here again this summer.
“I like being stabled here year round, I just need to figure out which ones fit here best,” McPeek said.
McPeek also voiced his approval of the recent decision by track management to install a Tapeta surface here later this year.
“I’ve probably won as many races on the synthetic track at Keeneland as anybody, except maybe Mike Maker,” McPeek said. “I’ve won a few Alcibiades, the Ashland, Blue Grass, lots of stakes. I really like it, and I’m all in favor of them adding one here at Gulfstream.”
Busy Monday work tab
All the rain here Saturday and into Sunday morning altered the training schedules of many horses based at Gulfstream Park, with Monday’s work tab not only far larger than normal but star-studded as well.
Among the big names to breeze under unseasonably cool and windy skies here Monday morning were Mr Freeze, Mischevious Alex, Ny Traffic, and Chance It.
Mr Freeze, who has designs on the Godolphin Mile in Dubai, worked five-eighths from the half-mile pole in 1:02.46, doing his best running into and around the turn, easing up after three-quarters of a mile in 1:14.78.
Mischevious Alex, winner of the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint in his last start, worked a solo half-mile in 48.47 seconds, completing a tailwind-aided final three furlongs going very easily in 35.02 before galloping out five panels in 1:01.29. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. breezed Mischevious Alex without blinkers on Monday, although he has run with blinkers in each of his last seven starts. Joseph is pointing Mischevious Alex to the Grade 1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.
◗ Sunday’s mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 attracted more than $5.4 million in new handle chasing a carryover of $873,676, with the popular gimmick returning $1,140.62 for a 20-cent wager to those correctly selecting all six winners. The carryover had accumulated in the 10 days since one player collected $712,824 for having the only winning ticket on Feb. 22.
◗ Two-time defending Championship meet leading jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. continues to dominate in his quest for a third straight title. Ortiz rode five winners Friday, a pair Saturday, and then added four more victories on Sunday’s card to up his meet-leading total to 121 wins. The single season record for the Championship meet is 137, set by Luis Saez in 2017-18.