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Skip Away by Victoria Keith 
In the spring of '98, trainer
Sonny Hine issued this challenge: Here is Skip Away's schedule for the
year - come get him if you can.
Hine was still stinging from not winning the 1997 Horse of the Year title, an award that was hotly-contested and eventually bestowed on the phenomenal 2-year-old colt, Favorite Trick. Hine was determined that his horse win the award in '98, and the strategy paid off. It helped, of course, that Skip Away cooperated, putting together his best season to date. From east coast to west and points inbetween, Skip Away won five Gr. I's, one Gr. II, and one Gr. III in 9 starts. Not that Skippy, as he's affectionately known, was ever a slouch. He first splashed onto the racing scene at 3, quite literally, on a sloppy Keeneland racetrack in the Blue Grass Stakes. He won convincingly, breaking the stakes record. He'd go on to be one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, but he finished well up the track to the surprise victor, Grindstone. Skip fared better in the Preakness, finishing second to Louis Quatorze - and with Skip showing an affinity for additional ground, it was thought the Belmont would be his. At the Belmont post position draw, however, Skip Away drew a far outside post. Much to Hine's dismay, Skip had drawn unfortunate posts in all three of the Triple Crown events. But even with the disadvantage, Skip finished well - another second, this time to Editor's Note. While many of that year's crop were dropping by the wayside with injuries and retirement, Skip Away continued to improve. He won the Woodbine Million, the Haskell, finished third in the Travers, and then lined up in the Jockey Club Gold Cup to take on his elders for the first time. In the field was reigning champion Cigar, in the next to last start of his fabulous career. In a major disappointment to the many Cigar fans, Skip Away won over the big bay by a decreasing neck. Skip's three-year-old colt championship was cemented, so he was put away for the year. Most looked at Skip's win over Cigar philosophically - the torch had been passed from one champion to another. But instead of dazzling us as a 4-year-old, Skip Away struggled, finishing second and third in most of his races to Gentlemen, Formal Gold, Will's Way, Isitingood, and others. But in a year which saw his main divisional competitors, Gentlemen and Formal Gold, hold sketchy records themselves, Skip would be named Champion Older Male after his win in the Breeders' Cup Classic, a race both Gentlemen and Formal Gold had to bypass. 1998 would bring a reversal of fortune. Skip Away, with a record of 29-11-10-5, had been winning the silvers and bronzes more often than the golds. But starting with the February Donn Handicap and continuing through the September Woodward Stakes, Skip Away was invincible. Skip carried a nine-race win streak to the Oct. 10, 1998 Jockey Club Gold Cup, seven of those wins earned in 1998. It was a dreary, rainy day at Belmont, but few saw a sloppy track as a problem for Skip, remembering back to his Blue Grass Stakes score. Gentlemen would go to the post with Skip Away, but he wasn't viewed as much a threat either, since Skip had defeated the game but perhaps down-sliding 6-year-old three weeks prior in the Woodward. But Gentlemen's trainer, Richard Mandella, had a plan. Skip Away had gotten a headstart on Gentlemen in the Woodward and it proved too much to overcome. Gentlemen still had his speed and Mandella hoped to harness it, sending Gentlemen postward equipped with blinkers for the first time in his career. Both horses broke together and the match race began as they left the rest of the field behind. Neck to neck they raced down the backstretch, but it was apparent that the smaller Gentlemen was having an easier time of the sticky going. Gentlemen inched ahead in the turn for home and appeared to have clear sailing at the top of the stretch as Skip dropped back to second. But the wire was too far off and the fast pace set by the two took its toll on Gentlemen as well. As his stride visibly shortened, a late-charging Wagon Limit was making up serious ground. Wagon Limit passed by the weary Gentlemen for the win, with Skip Away struggling home in the show spot. Only one race remained in Skip Away's career - the November 7 Breeders' Cup Classic. Skip was no longer invincible, as quality speed going head-to-head with him on the front end proved in his last race. Also of concern was the fact that this year's Breeders' Cup was being held at Churchill Downs, the surface where Skip Away had put forth one of the worst races of his career in the Kentucky Derby. The Classic was shaping up as one of the best Classic fields ever assembled. The "now" horse was Silver Charm, coming in off two smashing victories in Kentucky and California. Awesome Again entered undefeated in 5 starts for the year. The Europeans offered us Swain, undoubtedly one of the best horses in the world. Gentlemen, Touch Gold, Running Stag, and a trio of talented 3-year-olds, Victory Gallop, Coronado's Quest, and Arch, rounded out the field. Whether it was the surface or simply not meant to be, the day would not belong to Skip Away. Awesome Again would reach the wire first and be led to the winner's circle. A heartbroken Hine could only look on as he realized he and his wife's beloved horse wouldn't go out in victory. They said their goodbyes and Skip was sent to start his new career at stud. But Hine has now what he most wanted for his horse - respect. And the ultimate symbol of that respect, the Eclipse Horse of the Year that Hine so badly wanted last year, is likely to be his in a few short months. Skip Away, Apr. 4, 1993, gray/roan, Skip Trial - Ingot Way, by Diplomat Way Owner: Carolyn Hine Trainer: Sonny Hine Breeder: Anna Marie Barnhart (FL) Jockey: Jerry Bailey in 2nd half of his career, Shane Sellers in the first half. Current Status: At stud in Kentucky Pedigree:
Career Highlights:
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