December 22, 2024

Skip Away

Last updated: 4/1/06 7:42 PM


Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s BANDINI (Fusaichi Pegasus) improved to two
for two this year with a gate-to-wire score in Saturday’s $100,000
Skip Away H.
(G3)
. A six-length winner of last year’s Blue Grass S. (G1), the Todd Pletcher-trained
colt underwent surgery following a 19th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1)
and spent the rest of 2005 on the sidelines. The four-year-old colt returned to
the races with an impressive win over allowance/optional claiming rivals in
early March and added his second career stakes win on Saturday.

Ridden by John Velazquez, Bandini broke sharply from post 2 and established a
one-length lead through an opening quarter-mile in :24 2/5. The 2-5 favorite
continued to lope along through splits in :48 1/5 and 1:11 3/5, and opened up by
three lengths in upper stretch, getting the mile in 1:36. Though never seriously
threatened, Bandini’s advantage shrank to 1 1/4 lengths at the wire as We Can
Seek (Chi) (Seeker’s Reward) closed determinedly for the place.

After finishing 1 1/8 miles over the fast track in 1:49, the winner gave back
$2.80, $2.60 and $2.10. We Can Seek, who finished five lengths clear at 37-1,
paid $14.40 and $2.60. O’Connell’s (Brz) (Jules), a Brazilian Group 3 winner
making his U.S. debut, took third at 30-1 and returned $2.40. The $1 exotics
totaled $23.20 (exacta), $218.90 (trifecta) and $777.30 for the 2-1-4-3
superfecta, which included Noble Causeway (Giant’s Causeway) in fourth. Network
(Pulpit), Zoffinger (Unbridled), Contante (Arg) (Interprete) and Whos Crying Now
(Concerto) rounded out the order of finish.

Bred in Kentucky by Marvin Little Jr., James Iselin and Ron McKee, the dark
bay winner sold for $500,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and
has now earned $646,380 from an 8-5-1-0 career line. Bandini finished a close
second when making his stakes debut in last year’s Fountain of Youth S. (G2) and
then captured the Blue Grass. He was sent off the 6-1 third choice in the
Kentucky Derby but exited the race with an injury.

Out of the stakes-placed
Divine Dixie (Dixieland Band), Bandini’s maternal granddam is Grade 1 winner
Hail Atlantis (Seattle Slew). He is a half-brother to the juvenile colt Virginia
Minstrel (Pleasant Tap) and the yearling filly My Mammy (Came Home).

“This horse has matured quite a bit from last year,” Pletcher said. “He’s
made progress every step of the way and (Saturday’s) performance was pretty much
what we were hoping for. We’ll point for the Met Mile (G1) (on May 29). That’s
been the plan.”

Bandini’s score in the Skip Away marked the fifth win on the card for the
Pletcher-Velazquez tandem.