Valid Takes Care of Business in Skip Away
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Lauren King
Valid rolls to victory in the Skip Away Stakes.
After Team Colors provided some pressure entering the lane, 2-5 favorite Valid provided the answer, putting that one away and cruising to a 1 3/4-length victory in the $150,000 Skip Away Stakes (gr. III) Saturday, April 2 at Gulfstream Park.
Cross Sabres Farm's Valid went into Saturday's Skip Away at Gulfstream as the class of the field and delivered, securing his seventh career stakes win and fourth at Gulfstream.
"This horse is deserving. He's an iron horse. He does everything he can," said winning jockey Nik Juarez. "For him to come back from that horrific thing that happened to him (stumbling and nearly falling, finishing third in the Gulfstream Park Handicap [gr. II] March 5), and come back as strong as ever, shows he's an awesome horse."
Breaking alertly, the 6-year-old dark bay gelding set a methodical pace under regular rider Nik Juarez through fractions of 24.49, 48.34, and 1:12.44 for six furlongs before turning for home in the 1 1/8-mile race with a comfortable advantage over Joseph Allen's Jimmy Jerkins-trained Team Colors under John Velazquez. Passing the mile marker in 1:36.19, the Marcus Vitali trainee held that rival at bay throughout the stretch to win.
It was another 3 1/2 lengths back to Kateryna Kappusheva's Mikhail Yanakov-trained Enders Cat in third under John Cruz.
"He's a great horse, shows up every time. I loved when it was raining out today—boosted my confidence immensely," Vitali said of the 6-year-old Medaglia d'Oro gelding. "He loves the wet, a little cool breeze, and everything went his way today. No trouble and a fair fight, and we won the fight."
As the 2-5 favorite, Valid returned 2.80, 2.10 and 2.10. Team Colors returned $3 and $2.60, while 60-1 longshot Enders Cat returned $7.60.