After emerging in good form after winning the GIII Count Fleet Sprint H., MGSW Skelly (Practical joke) will look to climb the class ladder with future targets including GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. and GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, trainer Steve Asmussen announced Sunday morning.
After posting a best time of the meet over six furlongs of 1:08.82 in that Count Fleet effort, beating the previous mark of 1:09.38, which he also set in his 2024 debut, the Oaklawn star will aim to win bigger prizes this summer and fall.
“I think the two main goals for the rest of the year are Vanderbilt at Saratoga and the Breeders' Cup,” Asmussen said. “I knew I wanted to keep him at three-quarters of a mile.”
The Count Fleet was Skelly's first race back in the United States since being beaten by Remake (Jpn) (Lani) in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint.
“It's a blessing to have him,” Asmussen said. “Believe it or not, [Skelly] went to Saudi Arabia [Arabia] and come back faster. Says a lot about who he is.
Vanderbilt is July 27 at Saratoga and the Breeders' Cup Sprint will be Nov. 2 at Del Mar.
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This story was posted in Top news and tagged G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint, GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt, GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, Count Fleet GIII Sprint H., Lani, Practical joke, Remake (Jpn), Skelly, Steve Asmussen.
