Apprehender, 9, may be ready to take Skinner Memorial

Nine-year-old Apprehender so far is winning the race against Father Time, and so well is he aging that he might also win the $65,000 Ed Skinner Memorial Stakes on Saturday at Prairie Meadows.

How old is Apprehender? His first Prairie Meadows start came back in the dark ages, 2012. He finished second in the 2016 Skinner and second again last year. Apprehender looked like a diminished version of his 8-year-old self this winter and spring at Oaklawn Park, but he bounced back with a solid sprint allowance win May 4 at Prairie Meadows and could be in for a dream run in the six-furlong Skinner.

The race drew eight entrants and half the field – Welder, Wings Locked Up, Eurobond, and Wildwood Dejavu are very fast front-runners who should be intent on making the early lead. Apprehender, at his age, has learned the value of patience. He’s perfectly content to wait well behind a fast pace until hot fractions start to take their toll, and if the Skinner plays out on the track as it appears on paper, the old man might pay his third visit to the Prairie Meadows winner’s circle.

Welder has won two straight in fine fashion, earning an impressive Beyer Speed Figure of 93 in both of his last two starts at Will Rogers Downs. In other words, he looks a lot like he did last year coming into the Skinner, where he finished third. Welder got no help at the post draw, either, and is stuck on the rail inside all that other speed.

Malibu Max and Bourbon Cowboy finished one-two in the Paul Bunyan Stakes earlier this month at Canterbury, but neither may be good enough to take advantage of a favorable race flow. Wings Locked Up has earned more than a half-million dollars and has run well before at Prairie Meadows, but Apprehender ran right past him in the recent allowance race – the 6-year-old unable to keep pace with his senior rival.