The Skip Away Stakes is an American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

run annually at

Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park is a Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida, Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States. It is among the most important venues for ...

Hallandale Beach, Florida Hallandale Beach (formerly known simply as Hallandale) is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. The city is named after Luther Halland, the son of a Swedish worker for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad. It is al ...

. A Listed event open to horses age four and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of miles (9-1/2

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s). The race is a Listed event with a current purse of $100,000. Inaugurated as the Broward Handicap, in 2001 Gulfstream Park changed the name to the Skip Away Handicap to honor 1998

American Horse of the Year The American Award for Horse of the Year, or simply Horse of the Year, one of the Eclipse Awards, is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to san ...

Skip Away Skip Away (April 4, 1993 – May 14, 2010), was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 1998 Horse of the Year, 1996 Champion Three-Year-Old, and 1997 and 1998 Champion Handicap Horse. He won 10 Grade One races for $9,616,360 in ...

. In 2000, the South African-bred

Horse Chestnut The genus ''Aesculus'' ( or ), with notable species including buckeye and horse chestnut, comprises 13–19 species of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae. They are trees and shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with ...

, 1999 Horse of the Year in his native country, made his American debut in this race, winning going away by five and one-half lengths. Other past winners of note include U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Swaps who won in 1956 and set a new

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

for 1 mile, 70 yards with time of 1:39 3/5. Since its inception, the race has been run at various distances: * miles : 1987, 1990, 1993–2004 * miles : 1991-1992, 2005–2008, 2016-2017 * miles : 2009-2015, 2019

Records

Speed record: * 1:48.10 - Chief Honcho (at current distance of miles) (1991) * 1:53.92 - Fort Larned (at former distance of miles) (2012) (This is also the track record, eclipsing the former track record set by Eddington in 2005 of 1:54.74.) Most wins: * 3 - Sir Bear (1998, 1999, 2002)

Winners since 1987

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! style="background-color:#DACAA5" , Time , - , 2017 , Fear The Cowboy , 5 , Jesus M. Rios , Efren Loza, Jr. , Kathleen Amaya , 1:51.81 , - , 2016 , Valid , 6 ,

Nik Juarez Nik is a male nickname/moniker derived from the Ancient Greek word ''νίκη'' (nike), meaning 'victory'. The name Nik is a shortened form that has several origins. One of the interpretations is that the name comes from Nike, the mythological god ...

, Marcus J. Vitali , Crossed Sabres Farm , 1:48.42 , - , 2015 ,

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Javier Castellano Javier Castellano (born October 23, 1977) is a Venezuelan jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Castellano won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey four times in a row from 2013 to 2016. In 2023 he won two legs of the American Tripl ...

Todd Pletcher Todd Pletcher (born June 26, 1967, in Dallas, Texas) is an American thoroughbred horse trainer. He won the Eclipse Award eight times as Trainer of the Year, four of these in consecutive years. His horses Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming ( ...

WinStar Farm WinStar Farm is an American Thoroughbred horse breeding and horse racing, racing farm near Versailles, Kentucky, owned by Kenny Troutt. It won the 2010 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner and 2016 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder, Outstandi ...

, 1:58.60 , - , 2014 , Micromanage , 4 ,

Repole Stable Mike Repole (born January 21, 1969) is an American entrepreneur, businessman, and racehorse owner. He is best known for co-founding Glaceau (maker of Vitaminwater), which sold to Coca-Cola for $4.1 billion, and BODYARMOR SuperDrink, a spo ...

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John Velazquez John R. Velazquez (born November 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing. He began his career in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1990. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey ...

William I. Mott William I. "Bill" Mott (born July 29, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota) is an American horse trainer, most notable for his work with Cigar (horse), Cigar. Mott earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1995, 1996, 2011, 2013. He was ind ...

, J & L Ballis , 1:56.84 , - , 2012 , Fort Larned , 4 ,

Julien Leparoux Julien R. Leparoux (born July 15, 1983 in Senlis, Oise, France) is a French Eclipse Award winning jockey currently racing in the United States. He has won seven Breeders' Cup races, including the 2015 Breeders' Cup Mile with Champion Turf Mare T ...

, Ian Wilkes , Janis Whitham , 1:53.92 , - , 2011 , S. S. Stone , 5 ,

Nick Zito Nicholas Philip Zito (born February 6, 1948, in New York City, New York) is an American Thoroughbred horse trainer. Zito began his career as a hot walker and worked his way up to a groom, to an assistant trainer, and to a trainer. His first top l ...

, Robert V. LaPenta , 1:55.73 , - , 2010 , Arson Squad , 7 , Paco Lopez , Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. , Jay Em Ess Stable , 1:55.65 , - , 2009 , Finallymadeit , 5 , Eduardo Núñez , Javier Negrete , Rolbea Stables , 1:56.76 , - , 2008 , Gottcha Gold , 5 , Chuck C. Lopez , Edward Plesa, Jr. , Centaur Farms , 1:51.31 , - , 2007 , A. P. Arrow , 5 ,

Edgar Prado Edgar S. Prado (born June 12, 1967) is a retired Peruvian jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. Prado's big break came in 1997 when he won 536 races, making him the fourth rider in history to win 500 races in one year. Much of that success was ga ...

, Todd A. Pletcher , Allen E. Paulson

Trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust (law), a legal relationship in which one person holds property for another's benefit * Trust (bu ...

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Tabor Tabor may refer to: Places Czech Republic * Tábor, a town in the South Bohemian Region ** Tábor District, the surrounding district * Tábor, a village and part of Velké Heraltice in the Moravian-Silesian Region Israel * Mount Tabor, Galilee, ...

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, Todd A. Pletcher , Sumaya Us Stables , 1:43.26 , - , 2003 , Best of the Rest , 8 ,

Eibar Coa Eibar Coa Monteverde (born February 15, 1971) is a Venezuelan jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Coa was born and raised in Venezuela. A five-time judo champion in his teens, he attended jockey school from 1989 to 1991 then began his ...

, Edward Plesa, Jr. , Bea Oxenberg , 1:42.72 , - , 2002 , Sir Bear , 9 ,

, Ralph Ziadie , Barbara Smollin , 1:43.98 , - , 2001 , American Halo , 5 , Robbie Davis , Angel Medina , Jose Paparoni , 1:42.31 , - , 2000 ,

, 5 , Mike E. Smith , Michael de Kock , Harry & Bridget Oppenheimer , 1:42.78 , - , 1999 , Sir Bear , 6 , Jerry D. Bailey , Ralph Ziadie , Barbara Smollin , 1:43.66 , - , 1998 , Sir Bear , 5 ,

Enrique Jurado Captain Enrique L. Jurado (July 15, 1911 – October 14, 1944) was an officer in the Philippine Army – Offshore Patrol during the Second World War. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Class of 1934, Foreign Midshipman who returned ...

, Ralph Ziadie , Barbara Smollin , 1:43.27 , - , 1997 , Crafty Friend , 4 , Mike E. Smith , Mark A. Hennig , Ken Karlan , 1:42.27 , - , 1996 , Halo's Image , 5 ,

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 an ...

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Appleton Appleton may refer to: People and fictional characters * Appleton (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters * Appleton family, an American political, religious and mercantile family * Appleton P. Clark Jr. (1865–1955), Am ...

, 1:42.71 , - , 1995 , Fight For Love , 5 , Jerry D. Bailey , Bert Sonnier , Irving & Marjorie Cowan , 1:43.98 , - , 1994 , Devil His Due , 5 , Mike E. Smith ,

H. Allen Jerkens Harry Allen Jerkens (April 21, 1929 – March 18, 2015) was an American thoroughbred race horse Hall of Fame horse trainer, trainer. Jerkens' father owned a riding academy on Long Island that led to his interest in horse racing, and in the spri ...

, Lion Crest Stable , 1:43.17 , - , 1993 , Technology , 4 , Jerry D. Bailey , Sonny Hine , S. Savin & Classic Partners , 1:42.47 , - , 1992 , Honest Ensign , 4 ,

Jean Cruguet Jean Cruguet (born March 8, 1939, in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, France) is a retired French-American thoroughbred horse racing jockey who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. At age five, Cruguet was placed in an orphanage after h ...

, Guillame Soyer , Clarence Hill, Jr. , 1:49.41 , - , 1991 , Chief Honcho , 4 , Mike E. Smith ,

, Bertram R. Firestone , 1:48.10 , - , 1990 , Primal , 5 ,

Earlie Fires Earlie Stancel Fires (born March 19, 1947) is an American retired horse racing jockey. Fires began riding professionally in 1964 and led all American apprentices in wins that year with 224. He retired on September 21, 2008, having won 6,470 races ...

, James E. Bracken , Tartan Stable , 1:43.40 , - , - bgcolor="#eeeeee" , 1989 , No Race , - , No Race , No Race , No Race , ''0:00.00'' , - bgcolor="#eeeeee" , 1988 , No Race , - , No Race , No Race , No Race , ''0:00.00'' , - , 1987 , Big Blowup , 3 , Chuck Baltazar , J. David Braddy , not found , 1:44.40 , -

References

The 2009 Skip Away Handicap at the NTRA
Graded stakes races in the United States Flat horse races for four-year-olds Open middle distance horse races Horse races in Florida Gulfstream Park Horse races established in 1987 1987 establishments in Florida Grade 3 stakes races in the United States