Delta Downs: Skip the Pinot launches fall campaign in Gold Cup

Skip the Pinot has yet to run over a track he could not handle, and his trainer, Andrew Leggio, hopes the trend will continue Saturday night when the gelding makes his Delta Downs debut in the $100,000 Gold Cup. The one-mile race for 3-year-olds and up bred in Louisiana drew a deep cast of nine, including stakes winners Populist Politics, Get in Da House, and Sunbean.

The Gold Cup falls about six weeks before the Louisiana Champions Day program at Fair Grounds, and a number of runners from the Delta stakes figure to advance to the rich card in New Orleans.

Champions Day is a goal for Skip the Pinot, a winner of three of seven starts, including the $75,000 Louisiana Cup Derby at Louisiana Downs in his most recent outing on Aug. 17. Since that race, he has been under consideration for the Gold Cup, which will mark his first start at Delta.

“I think he’ll handle it,” said Leggio, who also co-bred and co-owns Skip the Pinot with Glen Warren. “He’s won at Fair Grounds. He’s won at Evangeline Downs. He’s won at Louisiana Downs. He seems to run anywhere we’ve brought him.”

Skip the Pinot won his maiden in his two-turn debut at Fair Grounds in February. He went on to capture a conditioned allowance race over older rivals at Evangeline in June, then ran the race of his career in the Louisiana Cup Derby, when he led throughout for a 4 1/4-length win. He earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 90.

“He has speed, but he’ll lay off it if need be,” Leggio said, adding he would leave the riding decisions to jockey Mark Guidry.

Skip the Pinot will break from the rail.

Populist Politics, a five-time stakes winner, is making his first start since winning the $100,000 Louisiana Legends Classic at Evangeline on July 6. Gerard Melancon has the mount for Klaravich Stables and trainer Tom Amoss.

Get in Da House, a three-time stakes winner, is making his first start since running fourth in the Grade 3, $200,000 Texas Mile at Lone Star Park on April 27. Trainer Wes Hawley said he was put away after that race with the goal of returning for the rich Louisiana-bred stakes run over the winter at Delta and Fair Grounds.

Sunbean passed on the Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby after being edged by a head in the Louisiana Downs prep for the race, the $100,000 Prelude Stakes, in his most recent start on Aug. 3.