Pimlico: Dance to Bristol rolls to easy win at 3-5 in Skipat

BALTIMORE -- Dance to Bristol lived up to her 3-5 odds with a powerful 4 3/4-length victory in Friday’s $100,000 Skipat Stakes at Pimlico.

It was the fourth consecutive win for Dance to Bristol, who was coming off a nine-length score in the $200,000 Sugar Maple Stakes at Charles Town last month. Dance to Bristol, a 4-year-old daughter of Speightstown, is now 7-7-0 from 15 starts for the Cooperville Farm.

Under Xavier Perez, Dance to Bristol sat behind Orange’s Lil Sis and Funnys Approval through a quarter in 23.66 seconds. Funnys Approval checked out of it entering the far turn and Dance to Bristol moved into second.

Perez took a long look between his legs behind him and when he asked Dance to Bristol to go after Orange’s Lis Sis she did, tackling her at the three-sixteenths pole after four taps of Perez’s left-handed whip before exploding while veering in from Perez’s right-handed stick.

Orange’s Lil Sis finished second by 2 1/4 lengths over Kalambaka Queen.

[PREAKNESS STAKES: Live updates and live video from Pimlico]

Dance to Bristol covered six furlongs in 1:11.86 and returned $3.20.

“At the five-sixteenths I dropped her head and when I make her switch leads in the stretch and I hit her the first time she took off,” Perez said. “You see I wrapped on her when I looked back and I start celebrating. She’s 4 for 4 with me, we get along pretty well. I think we’re going to keep doing good.”

Trainer Ollie Figgins III said “if all goes well” Dance to Bristol will make her next start in the Grade 3, $150,000 Bed o’ Roses Handicap at Belmont on June 15.