SKIMMING REPEATS IN Gr.2 SAN DIEGO H.

Skimming (5, b. h. by Nureyev out of Skimble by Lyphard) won the Gr.2 San Diego Handicap on 7-29. Skimming won the race in 2000 in preparation for a victory in the Gr.1 Pacific Classic, a race he won, defeating 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow.

In the 2001 edition, under jockey Garrett Gomez, Skimming set fractions of :23.02 for the quarter and :45.98 for the half. At the top of the stretch, Futural inched closer to Skimming but the front-runner dug in, holding on to win by a length. On a fast track, the winner completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.62. ‘I heard a horse (Futural) come up outside me near the five-sixteenth pole and so did Skimming,’ said Gomez. ‘He responded to the other horse, more so than he did to me. He’s a fighter, he’ll dig in when it is time to fight. You don’t want to choke this horse down. I know that for sure now. He’s a free-running horse. He doesn’t necessarily have to have the lead, but he wants to be allowed to run his race.’

The win marks the fourth graded stakes win for Skimming. He earned $150,000 for his seventh win from 18 starts. Juddmonte Farms bred Skimble, a daughter of Lyphard and Nimble Folly. Skimble was a multiple Graded SW for Bobby Frankel. Skimble’s full sister Flit produced the 1,000 Guineas winner Wince in 2000 and her ¾ sister Nimble Feet has produced Gr.2 SW and Gr.1-placed Eltish and three other SWs. Skimble has a two-year-old filly by Woodman named Tree Pipit in training with Barry Hills and a yearling filly by Gone West.

Date: 02 August 2001