NEWS
Bandini displays dominance in Skip Away win
Posted: Saturday, April 01, 2006
Displaying the domination that made him a leading Triple Crown contender last season, Bandini capped off a five-win day for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez with a 1 1/4-length win in the $100,000 Skip Away Handicap (G3) on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Dictating the pace from the start of the 1 1/8-mile race that was one of seven stakes events run at the Hallandale, Florida, track on Florida Derby (G1) day, Bandini responded to a strong hand ride from Velazquez and drew clear approaching the stretch, where the son of Fusaichi Pegasus held off a late run from We Can Seek (Chi) en route to the clear win in 1:49.11 on fast track.
O'Connell's (Brz) rallied four-wide in the turn to finish third, five lengths behind We Can Seek.
"This horse has matured quite a bit from last year," Pletcher said. "He's made progress every step of the way and that performance was pretty much what we were hoping for."
Positioned near the inside rail at the start, Bandini maintained a one-length lead for six furlongs while clicking off fractions of :24.47, :48.37, and 1:11.73. Kicking clear in the turn, Bandini increased his advantage to three lengths in early stretch.
"I wanted to give him a little break the first part of it, so I gave him his head to let him get comfortable," Velazquez said. "When I asked him, it was all him."
Pletcher was not surprised to see Bandini put forth a dominating effort in his second start since returning from a layoff of almost ten months. The winner of the 2005 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) underwent ankle surgery to remove a bone chip after finishing 19th in the 2005 Kentucky Derby (G1).
In his 2006 debut, Bandini set a track record by winning a one-mile allowance race in 1:34.19 on March 1. The four-year-old was equally impressive while earning his second stakes win in the Skip Away.
"On paper he looked like he was the controlling speed," Pletcher said. "Sometimes races don't turn out the way they look on paper, but he was able to get to the front and do what was expected."
Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Bandini boosted his bankroll to $646,380 by earning his fifth win in eight lifetime starts. Bred in Kentucky, Bandini is out of the Dixieland Band mare Divine Dixie.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
