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John Oxley’s Skyway (Sky Mesa) scored a good-looking 1 1/4-length victory with a strong closing move in Del Mar’s featured Grade 2, $200,250 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs on Sunday. This was an especially welcome first win of the meet for trainer Mark Casse and first local win for rider Stewart Elliot.
Breaking on top from post five, 2-1 favorite Skyway took back into fourth, traveling in the clear two wide and three lengths behind pacesetter Two Six Wins. The pacesetter clocked speedy fractions of 22.20 and 45.23 pushed along by Bad Read Sanchez.
Advancing into contention under hand urging on the turn, Skyway set his sights on new leader Bad Read Sanchez in the stretch. The blaze-faced chestnut colt kicked into high gear and cleared his rival inside the final furlong.
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Skyway continued his energetic run to the wire, holding hold off a fast-closing runner-up Harry’s Holiday. Finishing third another length back was Bad Read Sanchez followed by Highway Boss, Two Six Wins, and Story to Tell. Skyway stopped the clock at 1:16.67 after 6 1/2 panels over the Polytrack.
Elliot said, “He broke well, we were in a good spot and he was comfortable. When I asked him (in the stretch), he responded well. He was a little green there. He was wanting to lean in changing his leads (in the stretch). Part of maturing. He’ll learn and go on from here.”
Elliot continued, “He broke his maiden on the Poly(track) (at Keeneland) and the last time he got beat on the dirt. He might have liked going back to the Poly.” Skyway won his debut at Keeneland this spring by six-plus lengths before finishing third to Cinco Charlie in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs on June 28.
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Casse was thrilled that his colt got him “off the duck” at Del Mar. “I was just wanting any win, but to do it in a Grade 2 is very special,” said Casse. “As long as horses run good, that’s all you can ask for. Any other place if I go 0-for-10 – at Woodbine it happens all the time – people would have been yelling for me to go back home. At New York it would have happened about five starts ago. But here, everybody’s been wonderful.”
Skyway, who has now earned $157,390, will have his next date with the starter in the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, September 3.
Bred by H. Lewis Rapaport and Sugar Maple Farm, and out of the stakes-winning New York-bred mare Bedside Manner (Dr. Blum), Skyway is a half-brother to talented multiple stakes-winning sprinter Ava K. and six more winners. He was purchased last year by Casse for $165,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale.
Bedside Manner currently has a yearling colt by Bluegrass Cat and a weanling Posse Filly. She was bred to Union Rags in the spring.
