Swiss Skydiver Aims to Make Blue Grass History

With a filly who has cleared every recent hurdle, the last thing owner Peter Callahan and trainer Ken McPeek want to do is sell Swiss Skydiver short.

Keeping that in mind, the connections of the multiple graded stakes winner will send her out to face males for the first time July 11 in the $600,000 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, where she'll look to become the first filly to win the stakes that was first run at the Lexington track in 1937. A top finish could have the connections considering racing's biggest prize: the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). The daughter of Daredevil  is Triple Crown-nominated.

"She really is special," Callahan said. "I think she's been at six tracks and has had five jockeys in her seven races. We're asking a lot out of her, and she keeps getting it done. She's very resilient. She seems to continue to improve in the face of increasing competition. We have our fingers crossed that she stays in form."

Swiss Skydiver enters the 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds off three consecutive clear victories over fillies in graded stakes at three tracks. Traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast in the spring, she won the March 28 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) by 3 1/4 lengths, the May 1 Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park by 2 1/2 lengths, and the June 6 Santa Anita Oaks (G2) by four lengths. 

Video: Santa Anita Oaks (G2)

In a season that has forced horsemen to adjust on the fly, Swiss Skydiver has met every challenge. She again picks up Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith, who was aboard for the first time in the Santa Anita Oaks and will make the trip to Kentucky. Smith captured back-to-back editions of the Blue Grass in 1993 with Prairie Bayou and 1994 with Holly Bull.

McPeek, who won the Blue Grass in 2002 with Harlan's Holiday and in 2013 with Java's War, said he prefers the 1 1/8 miles of the Blue Grass for Swiss Skydiver as opposed to the 1 1/16 miles of the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1), in which the trainer will saddle Envoutante. Also, McPeek dislikes running his horses against each other, so that was another reason the Blue Grass made sense for Swiss Skydiver, who would be just the second filly to start in the race. Hyman Friedberg's homebred Harriet Sue won the 1944 Ashland, then five days later finished fifth in the Blue Grass won by Skytracer.

Assigned 118 pounds, Swiss Skydiver will get a five-pound break as a filly facing males.

Also entering in good form is grade 1 winner Basin, who chased frontrunning winner Charlatan around the Oaklawn oval to finish second in the May 2 Arkansas Derby (G1). That marked the top placing this season for Jackpot Farm's son of Liam's Map  who won last year's Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. (After the Arkansas Derby, Charlatan failed a post-race drug test and Basin could be declared the winner, pending action by the Arkansas Racing Commission and the Oaklawn stewards.)

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen also considered the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) for Basin before ultimately skipping that race to start in the Blue Grass. Ryne Poncik of Jackpot Farm said Basin will go into the race in great form.

"He is fit, ready to go. This nine weeks since the Arkansas Derby has really helped him," Poncik said. "The Arkansas Derby really took a lot out of him trying to keep up with Charlatan all the way around there. So, in these nine weeks he got good weight and he's really looking good."

The Blue Grass, rescheduled when Keeneland canceled its spring meeting because of the COVID-19 pandemic, retains its original Road to the Kentucky Derby status, awarding qualifying points of 100-40-20-10 to the top four finishers. The postponed Kentucky Derby will be run eight weeks after the Blue Grass.

Making the trip to Lexington from the West Coast, Rushie rallied to finish third in the June 6 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) behind winner Honor A. P. and Authentic. Javier Castellano, who won last year's Blue Grass on Vekoma, has the mount from post 10.

Art Collector, who enters off a 6 1/2-length romp in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-level race June 13 at Churchill Downs, will be making his first stakes start on dirt. Trainer Tom Drury Jr. said that effort punched his ticket to Saturday's test, which has drawn a field of 13 3-year-olds.

"There was a question if he really wants to go two turns, but he checked that box and did it maybe with an exclamation point," Drury said. "He drew away at the end and had his ears up while galloping out afterwards. It is time to jump into the deep end of the pool and see how he stacks up against this kind."

Entries: Toyota Blue Grass S. (G2)

Keeneland, Saturday, July 11, 2020, Race 9

• Grade II
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $600,000
• 3 yo
• 5:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Shivaree (FL)	John R. Velazquez	123	Ralph E. Nicks	8/1
2	2Finnick the Fierce (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	Rey Hernandez	12/1
3	3Art Collector (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	123	Thomas Drury, Jr.	5/1
4	4Mr. Big News (KY)	Mitchell Murrill	123	W. Bret Calhoun	10/1
5	5Man in the Can (AR)	Tyler Gaffalione	123	Ron Moquett	10/1
6	6Hard Lighting (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	123	Alexis Delgado	50/1
7	7Swiss Skydiver (KY)	Mike E. Smith	118	Kenneth G. McPeek	3/1
8	8Basin (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	123	Steven M. Asmussen	8/1
9	9Attachment Rate (VA)	Luis Saez	123	Dale L. Romans	20/1
10	10Rushie (FL)	Javier Castellano	123	Michael W. McCarthy	5/1
11	11Hunt the Front (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	123	Nicholas P. Zito	30/1
12	12Enforceable (KY)	Joel Rosario	123	Mark E. Casse	10/1
13	13Tiesto (KY)	Flavien Prat	123	William I. Mott	15/1