Injury Not Likely to Keep Skip Away Out of the Classic

Trainer Sonny Hine said Sunday that Skip Away, injured while running third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, is a probable starter for the $4-million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 7.

Skip Away, jumping a tire track from the tractor that pulls the Belmont Park starting gate, finished behind Wagon Limit and Gentlemen on Saturday. Beaten by 10 1/4 lengths, he came back with an inflammation in the rear of his right foreleg.

“There’s heat there, but he’s sound,” Hine said. “It’s a day-to-day thing, but at least I have the luxury of having 27 days or so before the next race. We’d like to go for the money record, but not at the expense of jeopardizing the horse. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to resume training him by the end of the week.”

Hine has reserved a plane that would transport Skip Away from New York to Louisville on Nov. 4. Despite the end to his nine-race winning streak, Skip Away would be favored in Classic, which he won last year. Earning $110,000 at Belmont, Skip Away is $383,455 short of Cigar’s career record of almost $10 million. Skip Away could break the record with at least a third-place finish at Churchill Downs.

Skip Away might not be finished with Gentlemen, who appeared to be a winner Saturday before Wagon Limit’s dramatic stretch run. Before Saturday, Gentlemen might have been headed for the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Mile, but now the Classic becomes a possibility. Either race is a stiff ticket for owner R.D. Hubbard and his partners. Gentlemen is not Breeders’ Cup-nominated, which necessitates a supplementary payment of $800,000 for the Classic or $200,000 for the Mile, which is a grass race.

“The money is not the issue because there are none gamer than Mr. Hubbard,” said Richard Mandella, Gentlemen’s trainer. “What we’ll probably do is pre-enter [on Oct. 26] for the Classic. Then, if we decide to run in the Mile, we can get the [Classic] money back.”

Trainer Allen Jerkens will consider the Classic for Wagon Limit, who was 34-1 in the Gold Cup. Trainer Patrick Byrne had a break-even weekend with his Classic contenders. After Awesome Again’s victory Saturday in the Hawthorne Gold Cup, Touch Gold, a 1-2 favorite, lost a neck decision on Sunday to Arch in the Fayette Stakes at Keeneland. Arch, carrying eight pounds less than Touch Gold, set a track record with a 1:53 4/5 clocking for 1 3/16 miles and is expected to run in the Classic.