Cathy and Bob Zollars & Mark Wagner’s THISKYHASNOLIMIT (Sky Mesa) ran like a
7-5 favorite should in Saturday’s $200,000
Texas
Mile S. (G3) at Lone Star Park, scoring by a half-length over the
pacesetting Gladding (Sarava). The Steve Asmussen charge paid $4.80, $2.60 and
$2.40 for his victory under Justin Shepherd, stopping the clock in 1:37 1/5 on
the fast dirt.
Gladding set splits of :24 1/5 and :47 4/5 while pressed by Kate’s Main Man
(Bernstein) on the backstretch. After Kate’s Main Man began backing up, Friesan
Fire (A.P. Indy) moved up to take over pressing duties as Gladding flew through
six furlongs in 1:11 3/5. All the while, Thiskyhasnolimit was biding his time
stalking Friesan Fire in fourth.
The dark bay was caught five wide rounding the first turn, but settled into
fourth while tracking his rivals before putting in his rally. Once again caught
five wide on the turn, he moved up to challenge Gladding, who battled back down
on the inside. It was nip/tuck for much of the stretch, but Thiskyhasnolimit
finally managed to pull away to claim his first victory since taking the Smarty
Jones S. in early September.
Gladding was easily best of the rest while seven lengths clear of
Dreaminofthewin (Successful Man) on the line. It was another neck back to
Friesan Fire, with Kate’s Main Man 1 3/4 lengths behind in last.
Thiskyhasnolimit now owns four stakes wins, having previously triumphed in
last year’s Matt Winn S. and the 2009 Iroquois S. (G3). The four-year-old also
boasts four graded placings, including a half-length second in the Razorback H.
(G3) prior to this one. He’s accumulated $706,532 in lifetime earnings and
improved his career mark to 16-5-4-1.
Bred in Kentucky by Stud TNT, Thiskyhasnolimit brought $120,000 as a
Keeneland September yearling. He is out of the Deputy Minister mare Lovely
Regina, who has also produced a juvenile filly named Satyana (Street Cry [Ire])
and an unnamed yearling colt by Smart Strike.
Lovely Regina is herself a daughter of Grade 1 victress Cara Rafaela (Quiet
American), who was named 2006 Broodmare of the Year following the exploits of
her son and eventual leading sire Bernardini (A.P. Indy). That colt was honored
with an Eclipse as champion three-year-old for taking the Preakness S. (G1),
Travers S. (G1), Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), Jim Dandy S. (G2) and Withers S.
(G3), with a second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) thrown in the mix. Lovely
Regina and Bernardini also count as a half-sibling Ile de France (Storm Cat),
who was third in the 2002 Santa Anita Oaks (G1).
Others of note in this family include three sires, multiple highweight and
Group 1 king Muhtathir (GB) (Elmaamul), Grade 2 victor Hook and Ladder
(Dixieland Band) and dual Grade 3 winner Abaginone (Devil’s Bag).