The Flat Out ($100.000 Purse)
BEL- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and Three Eighths on the Dirt
May 15, 2016

Skhyperion has had a successful career racing for Yahudi Stables ever since the trainer purchased him in private sales.  His three year old season saw him earn a total of $419.10, including a $200.000 ungraded stake win, and a couple of second places in bigger races, such as the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Turf.  It was on the grass where Skhyperion had accomplished those feats, and he had never race on the main track for his current trainer.   This year didn’t start out exactly the way Yahudi had wanted, so Skhyperion would be moved to the dirt in hopes of attaining a better result.  It seemed as though he would be able to handle it, but only after this inaugural running of The Flat Out would we know for sure.  Skhyperion was our pick, but surprisingly the betting public was not as confident about the surface change, and he actually wins this race as a 10/1 longshot!  Hope you played our pick and got a part of that and of the exacta that we also picked! Congratulations to winning trainer, Yahudi Stables, and winning jockey, J Lezcano. Here’s a look at the race!

1st- 5- Skhyperion (10/1)- The eventual race winner form Yahudi Stables was fast out of the gate, but after a furlong, he would wisely allow Messy Ruler to set the pace.  At the top of the backstretch, he would race second and hold a stalking trip, a length and a half from the lead.  Content to stay in this position for this portion of the race, J Lezcano started to feel Accentor creeping closer, and positioned Skhyperion to make the pass of Messy Ruler.   This was done pretty easily, and at the top of the stretch, he would hold a two length advantage on Accentor.  There would be no let up in today’s winner AS Skhyperion maintained his graceful stride to win the race in a time of 2:15.13.  And that ladies and gentleman, is your new track record!   Congratulations to Skhyperion on that!  This is a four year old colt by Take A Million, and I am personally happy to see Yahudi Stables have success with a Take A Million foal given a prior transaction between us. He is out of Florida Gator, and was bred in Ontario as a yearling by Deja Vu Farm.  Yahudi Stables purchased him in private sales for $80.000 in March 2015.  Congrats to the connections!

2nd- 6- Accentor (5/2)- Got off to an average start for Mb Stables, though did allow to the two pacesetters to get about five lengths on him early on.  He would be in the middle pack as the backstretch run began.  During the backstretch, he was the best of anyone in the field, making inching closer to the lead, and pulling to within three lengths of the leader before the run around the far turn even began.  He would pass Messy Ruler without problem, but that length and a half or so that Skhyperion had on him was something he would never be able to make up.  Accentor ran well to the wire, but the winner was not going to be denied.

3rd- 2- Copperhead Rythym (5/1)-   The Bigchief Stables entry could see them all in front of him at the start and as they moved around the opening turn.  About midway into the turn, Copperhead Rythym responded well to urging from C H Velazquez, but there was still a lot of ground to make up.  In the stretch, he was in great form, and got a little closer to Accentor then had seemed possible.  However, in the end, he had conceded to much ground to these leaders early and could not make it all up.

4th- 1- Kiss A Native (3/1)- Raced at the back early for Night Mare Racing, primarily keeping Copperhead Rythym company in the early furlongs.  Needed to come down off the rail to account for the fading fast Plucked Lightly, but still was not making any real move toward the front in the turn, until Copperhead Rythym passed him.  He would not have anywhere near the stretch drive, however, and does nothing more then pass those tiring out more.

5th- 4- Messy Ruler (7/2)– The Pan Farms entry was the quickest of them all out of the gate, and after battling Skhyperion for a little while around the turn, he would pull out to a length and a half advantage into the back stretch.  The opening half mile was set in :49.64, and he would run three quarters in 1:13.96.  He still led as they started around the team, but it seemed in jeopardy. In the stretch, he did not have much fight, and faded away rather quickly.

6th- 3- Plucked Lightly (5/1)- After initially appearing to want to run near the back early, the D J C Racing Stables colt made a concerted push towards the end of the opening turn to advance to the third position for the backstretch trip.  That spark of run seemed short lived, and as they began to run around the turn, he was about five lengths off the pace.  From that point, it would get worse as the race went on.

Track: Fast
Time: :49³  1:13⁴  1:38¹  2:15

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 5 – 6 Paid 95.60
$1 Trifecta: 5 – 6 – 2 Paid 465.50

Scratched: None

Winner and Exacta picked by NS

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded