A Long Time Coming for Skip Away... by T. K. Hilmer

The horses hit the turn in tandem. Nose to nose. Striding in perfect harmony until they appeared from a distance to be one horse, with one rider. The roar of the crowd hit the two horses before they ever reached the top of the stretch. The race they had been waiting to see was playing out before them. The rivalry between the top horse of the East and the top horse from the West was going to be settled once and for all. No more talk. The finish line held the answer and the two horses were powering around the turn with furious determination to get there first. Then, the moment of truth arrived. The gray ghost of the East surged to the lead; and with each stride, Skip Away pulled away from Gentlemen and put all the questions and doubts about his ability behind.

In the winners' circle, Skip Away and his connections received an ovation of appreciation that was truly heartfelt, but one that had been a long time coming. Although Skip Away had a winning streak going into the Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. I) of six smashing victories (five of them grade I's), many people felt his competitors were almost allowance class horses in those races. In the eyes of many, he had to beat Gentlemen to prove he was worthy and I was one of those people.

In 1996, I was respectful of Skip Away's talent, however, Cigar was the horse that I adored. I watched Cigar's races on television with the hope that some day I would be able to see him in person before he retired. The day of my dreams finally arrived when my husband surprised me with a ticket to New York City to watch the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I). I was going to see Cigar's last race in America before he finished his career in Canada in the Breeders' Cup.

Through a series of unlucky events, my plane arrived in New York 50 minutes before the start of the Gold Cup. After paying $50 for a taxi to take me straight to the track from the airport, I ran with luggage in hand through the parking lot with only a few minutes to spare. Seeing Cigar in the paddock with all the children cheering for him and the people applauding his every move was a great thrill. Skip Away walked around patiently through it all. He looked very fit and ready to run the race of his life.

Unfortunately for the thousands of people there to see Cigar, Skip Away did run the race of a lifetime. Cigar almost caught him at the wire, but Skip Away held on determinedly. The roar of the crowd turned to silence as most of us came to grips with Cigar's second loss of the year and the realization that Cigar's reign was coming to an end.

I've always known Skip Away was an exceptional talent, but the heart of a fan is not always rational. For a long time, whenever I saw Skip Away race, I was reminded of how he had stolen my opportunity to cheer for Cigar as he stormed home a winner. So, being the logical person, I began to root for other horses to beat Skip Away.

In 1997, I had plenty of horses from which to choose. Formal Gold was on the top of my list, as were Gentlemen and Touch Gold (since Silver Charm was not in the picture). Skip Away had won two races out of nine, but by the end of 1997, the whole racing scene had turned upside down in a matter of weeks. Gentlemen, who had been the number one horse in the country all year, had lost unexpectedly and was out of the Breeders' Cup. Formal Gold broke down in training. Touch Gold had finished last in a field that he was supposed to have annihilated in his final prep before the Classic and Skip Away had crushed the field in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Suddenly, there was talk of Skip Away getting Horse of the Year if he won the Breeders' Cup.

The Breeders' Cup at Hollywood Park was an exciting day of racing. There were no upsets in all the races up to the Classic. Countess Diana won the Juvenile Fillies and Favorite Trick won the Juvenile right on cue. I was rooting for Touch Gold to win the Classic to assure he or Gentlemen would receive Horse of the Year honors. Skip Away, once again, raced a monster race, winning the race in stakes record time and by the largest margin ever. The crowd cheered Skip Away as he was led back to the stables for his bath and I was reminded of how much I had wanted to do that for Cigar.

In 1998, I found myself determined to let bygones be bygones with this Skip Away situation. My only hope was that, somehow, Cigar's earnings record of $9,999,815 would remain intact. I would not mind if Skip Away continued to win, as long as he didn't earn too much money in the process. Skip Away didn't appear to understand my truce, as he rattled off victory after victory all through the winter/spring meet. His career earnings after winning the Mass Cap for the second straight year totaled $8,306,360 with an amazing record of 33 starts 15 wins, 10 seconds and 5 third place finishes. That record is even more impressive when you consider that Skip Away has finished first or second in 22 of 25 graded stakes races and had won his final five races by a combined margin of 25 lengths.

Somewhere in between the Breeders' Cup Classic and the Mass Cap, I began to realize that Skip Away was truly a force to be reckoned with and there were very few horses left that could beat him. Cigar's earnings record was in serious jeopardy. I had hopes for Gentlemen to somehow find a way to win the $1,000,000 Hollywood Gold Cup as I watched the horses loading into the starting gate.

The horses burst from the gate in good order with Skip Away and Gentlemen running first and second respectively in the opening quarter run in 23 seconds flat. I watched as Gary Stevens and Gentlemen edged ever closer to Skip Away until the horses raced in tandem down the backstretch. The determination of the horses was clear. Neither was going to give in or give up as they picked up the tempo and left the other horses far behind in what essentially became a match race. With every stride, the crowd got louder, my heart beat faster and then something strange happened.

Skip Away began pulling away from Gentlemen and as I listened to Tom Durkin's emotional call of the race, I noticed to my astonishment that I was crying tears of appreciation and I was applauding! I was applauding Skip Away! Somehow, through all of my planning otherwise, Skip Away had finally gotten to my heart.

So I find myself in new territory. Skip Away has proven that he is what great horses have always been... fast, durable, consistent and courageous. The earnings record is Skip Away's for the taking and he deserves it. Maybe Sonny Hine will keep Skippy around to try to break Cigar's 16-race winning streak... only 10 more to go!

Congratulations Skip Away... it's been a long time coming.