Changing Skies rebounds from rare dud to take La Prevoyante

Jim Lisa

Changing Skies, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, makes amends for her flop in the Long Island by scoring a decisive win in he La Prevoyante Handicap.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -   Changing Skies bounced back from her poorest performance since shipping to the U.S. during the summer of 2009 with a convincing 3 3/4-length victory over Casablanca Smile in Sunday’s $150,000 La Prevoyante Handicap at Calder. The Grade 3 race closed out the 2010-2011 Calder stakes schedule.

Changing Skies, a 6-year-old daughter of Sadler’s Wells, had finished fourth as the 3-5 favorite in Aqueduct’s Grade 3 Long Island Handicap on Nov. 13. She had finished either first or second in all five previous starts in 2010, her victories coming in the Grade 3 The Very One at Gulfstream Park and Saratoga’s Waya Stakes.

With jockey Kent Desormeaux back aboard for the first time since the Waya, Changing Skies bided her time near the rear of the pack for the opening mile of the 1 1/2-mile La Prevoyante before launching her bid three-wide on the final turn. Changing Skies caught Casablanca Smile approaching the eighth pole and easily pulled away through the final furlong. Tarrip rallied mildly to finish third in a field of 10 older fillies and mares.

Changing Skies, who is owned by Swettenham Stud and trained by Bill Mott, completed the distance in 2:27.91 over a good turf course and paid $4.40. 

“I think her last race left Bill kind of scratching his head, he couldn’t give her an excuse,” said Mott’s assistant Ken McCarthy.