SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- A week after Gamine dazzled in the Grade 1 Test here, Swiss Skydiver galloped home an easy 3 1/2-length winner of Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga to set up an intriguing showdown between the two fillies in next month’s Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Oaks is traditionally run in early May, but was moved to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s going to be an exciting race, it’s going to get a lot of attention,” Ken McPeek, the trainer of Swiss Skydiver said. “We don’t have any fear of her. I think my filly might even have an advantage because Churchill is her base and she’s been two turns repeatedly and hasn’t had any trouble doing that.” :: Play Saratoga with DRF! Visit our Saratoga shop for DRF PPs, Picks, Betting Strategies, and Clocker Reports Swiss Skydiver, who won her maiden at Churchill las fall, hasn’t had any trouble doing much of anything since March. In winning the Alabama geared down, Swiss Skydiver won the first Grade 1 of her career. She added that to earlier season victories in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks in March, the Garde 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn Park in May, and the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks in June. Swiss Skydiver’s lone defeat in the last 4 1/2 months was against Art Collector, to whom she finished second in the Grade 2 Blue Grass at Keeneland on July 11. Art Collector figures to be second choice behind Tiz the Law in the Kentucky Derby. “She just breaths different air,” McPeek, who trains Swiss Skydiver for Peter Callahan, said. “It’s one of those things you never know when you get a horse like that. Everything we’ve asked her to do, she says ‘Okay, no problem.’ ” Breaking from post 5 under Tyler Gaffalione in the Alabama, Swiss Skydiver took up a stalking position, one length behind Crystal Ball, who, under Javier Castellano set fractions of 23.55 seconds for the quarter, 47.91 for the opening half-mile, and 1:12.27 for six furlongs. :: DRF's Saratoga headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more Leaving the three-furlong marker, Swiss Skydiver cruised past Crystal Ball. She opened up a 6 1/2-length lead in midstretch and was taken in hand for the final sixteenth. Bonny South, under Irad Ortiz Jr., rallied from next-to-last to be second by a 1 1/2 lengths over Harvey’s Lil Goil. It was 5 3/4 lengths back to Envoutante -- also trained by McPeek -- who was followed, in order, by Crystal Ball, Spice Is Nice, and Fire Coral. Swiss Skydiver, a daughter of Daredevil, covered the 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.04 and returned $4.30 as the even-money favorite. She improved her record 5-2-1 from 9 starts and has now earned $952,980. “The whole way around there she was just carrying me,” Gaffalione said. “She had her mind on business and she knew exactly what she wanted to do today. She put in a big performance and hopefully we didn’t take too much out of her and she’ll be good to go for the Oaks.” Only problem for Gaffalione is he won’t be riding her in the Oaks. Brian Hernandez Jr. will ride Swiss Skydiver in the Kentucky Oaks, McPeek said. “He’s been my go-to rider for a long time,” McPeek said of Hernandez. “He spent a lot of time with her, around her. He would have ridden her in California if I had chosen.” McPeek credited Gaffalione for riding a smart race in the Alabama, stalking the modest pace and taking her in hand late. :: Get DRF's Betting Strategies for Saratoga's weekend cards “I love the fact that Tyler geared her down and didn’t make her work too hard today,” McPeek said. McPeek, who won the 2018 Alabama with Eskimo Kisses, said Swiss Skydiver would be vanned back to Kentucky on Monday morning to prepare for the Oaks. While McPeek said Swiss Skydiver would pass the Kentucky Derby to run in the Oaks, he did leave the door open for a run in the Preakness at Pimlico on Oct. 3. “If she could win the Oaks and she’s still in good order, I think the Preakness would be a great race to win with a filly,” he said. By virtue of her Alabama victory, Swiss Skydiver earns an automatic, fee-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff to be held Nov. 7 at Keeneland.