Skinner could connect again in Louisiana Stakes

Twenty months separated Skinner’s maiden victory and his second trip to the winner’s circle. The wait could be much shorter for his third win.

Skinner is one of 10 older horses entered in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Louisiana Stakes. He’s set to make his first start outside of California and first since being moved to trainer Cherie DeVaux.

Owner C R K Racing had an invitation to the Pegasus World Cup but passed in favor of a softer race at the track where Skinner has been training.

“It’s a good spot for us to get a line on him,” DeVaux said.

Indeed, 5-year-old Skinner still hasn’t fully established his position in the older-horse dirt-route hierarchy. He ran in a Grade 1 as a 2-year-old way back in September 2022 and rated as one of the best California 3-year-olds the following spring, shipping to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby, only to scratch after spiking a fever.

Things never really went right the next year and a half, a couple sub-par performances, questionable rides, then a layoff of nearly a year. Skinner returned Nov. 1, and while he lost an allowance race, the spark he showed sprinting boded well for a return to route racing. Twenty-two days later, in the Grade 3 Native Diver, his positional pace and strong finish properly deployed, Skinner finally won again.

Saturday, a strong pace could provide Skinner and jockey Jose Ortiz with another favorable trip.

“We’ve only had him for two works,” DeVaux said. “Jose was aboard for the second one, just a nice steady five-eighths. He was more impressed with the gallop-out. Jose was trying to pull him up and the horse wanted to do a little more.”

While the morning line pegs Skinner as the co-second choice at 9-2, he easily could wind up favored over Hit Show.

Hit Show trained at Fair Grounds two winters ago before setting off down the New York fork of the Kentucky Derby trail, winning the Withers, finishing second in the Wood, and eventually winding up a creditable fifth in the Derby. A four-win 2024 produced more than $700,000 in purse earnings, yet Hit Show also hit his ceiling, eking out scores over listed to Grade 3-class foes before checking in a fading third as the favorite in the Grade 2 Clark in November. He breaks from post 1 under Florent Geroux and, like Skinner, would appreciate a strong pace.

“He should fit well, and I don’t think the post means that much for him. They’ll back up, hopefully,” trainer Brad Cox said.

Maycocks Bay has a tough outside draw but a chance to outrun his odds, while fellow 4-year-old Track Phantom seeks his first win since the Lecomte on this card one year ago. Track Phantom is set to peak third race back from a long layoff and was a tough-trip fourth last month in the Tenacious, breaking from the fence and setting the pace while taking sustained pressure from Pegasus World Cup-bound Saudi Crown.

“I think he needed the last race and should be a fitter horse,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “I hope he’s faster than they are at all points. He’s got great pace, but he’s not overly aggressive.”

Skinner’s connections weren’t overly aggressive either, passing the Pegasus for the Louisiana. Back-to-back wins, unknown for Skinner, could be at hand.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.