The Skipat 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 ...

held annually at

Pimlico Race Course Pimlico Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, most famous for hosting the Preakness Stakes. Its name is derived from the 1660s when English settlers named the area where the facility currently stands in honor of O ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. Contested over a distance of six furlongs on the dirt, it is open to fillies and mares three-years-old and up. The race is during the latter part of April/early May and was named in honor of Skipat, a rangy, 17.1-hand chestnut daughter of Jungle Cove. She won 27 races from 45 starts over six years, earning $614,215 in her career. In 1979 and 1981, she won the grade two

Barbara Fritchie Handicap The Barbara Fritchie Stakes is an American race for Thoroughbred horses run at Laurel Park Racecourse in February. A Listed event, this race is open to fillies and mares age four and up. It is run at seven furlongs on the dirt and offers a purse o ...

. Her second victory in the Fritchie came after she had been retired, bred and foaled. In August 1989, she was struck by lightning and killed in her stall. Her foal (Skilaunch) was standing next to her, survived, and went on to produce five stakes winners from five foals.2007 Maryland Jockey Club Media Guide, page 270 on March 3, 2007. The Skipat Stakes is the lead off leg of the Mid Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Fillies and Mare Sprint Dirt Division or MATCh Races. MATCh is a series of five races in five separate thoroughbred divisions run throughout four Mid-Atlantic States including;

and

Laurel Park Racecourse Laurel Park, formerly Laurel Race Course, is an American thoroughbred racetrack located just outside Laurel, Maryland which opened in 1911. The track is miles in circumference. Its name was changed to "Laurel Race Course" for several decades un ...

in Maryland;

Delaware Park Racetrack Delaware Park (also known as ''DelPark'') is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track, casino, and golf course in Stanton, Delaware. It is located just outside the city of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington, and about 30 miles from Philadelphia ...

in Delaware;

Parx Parx Casino and Racing (formerly Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Casino) is a Thoroughbred horse racing venue and the largest casino gaming complex in Pennsylvania. Parx is located in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, northeast of the city of ...

Philadelphia Park Parx Casino and Racing (formerly Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Casino) is a Thoroughbred horse racing venue and the largest casino gaming complex in Pennsylvania. Parx is located in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, northeast of the city of Ph ...

and

Presque Isle Downs Presque Isle Downs & Casino is a casino and horse racing track near Erie, Pennsylvania, owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc. History The developer, MTR Gaming Group, broke ground in October 2005 for the new facility, which opened on Febru ...

in Pennsylvania and

Monmouth Park Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease ...

in New Jersey.

Records

Speed record: * 6 furlongs - 1:09.80 - Weather Vane (1998) & Big Bambu (2001) * 6.5 furlongs - 1:16.40 - Cherokee Wonder (1996) & Smart 'n Noble (1995) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

: * 3 -

Mario Pino Mario G. Pino (born September 8, 1961) is a retired American jockey who competed in thoroughbred horse racing. Raised on a farm, he began his riding career in 1978 at Delaware Park in Wilmington. Over the years, he has chosen to be based at race ...

(1995, 1998 & 2001) Most wins by a trainer: * 2 - Richard W. Delp (1995 & 1998) * 2 - Michael E. Gorham (2000 & 2006) * 2 -

Timothy F. Ritchey Timothy F. "Tim" Ritchey (born May 27, 1951, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He is best known as the trainer of Afleet Alex, a 2005 winner of two American Classic Races, the Preakness and Belmont Stakes ...

(2002 & 2008)

Winners of the Skipat Stakes

References

{{Reflist Ungraded stakes races in the United States 1981 establishments in Maryland Pimlico Race Course Horse races in Maryland Horse races established in 1981

Records

Winners of the Skipat Stakes

See also

References