The likely end of Swiss Skydiver’s stellar career is in sight, with the announcement that the 2020 Champion 3-Year-Old Filly will get time off before being sold this November.
Swiss Skydiver will likely run in the Nov. 6 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar, then head almost immediately to the sales ring. She’ll be one of the featured fillies at Fasig-Tipton’s The November Sale Night of Stars, which follows the Breeders’ Cup.
“It’s the right time to let her move into her next chapter,†owner Peter Callahan said in a statement. “A once-in-a-lifetime horse, she gave me and my family everything we could have possibly dreamed of and more: the biggest thrills we’ve had in this business so far. I just can’t say enough good things about her. We’re looking forward to seeing great things from Swiss Skydiver in her next chapter.â€
In her last chapter on Aug. 28, Swiss Skydiver finished fifth in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga. She finished a tired 8 ½ lengths behind winner Letruska. Her 99 Equibase Speed Figure was her first double-digit Equibase in nine races over 14 months. It was three points lower than her figure from her disastrous seventh at last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Swiss Skydiver needs a break after two Grade 1 trials
That came after a fourth in the Grade 1 Whitney three weeks earlier against some of the best older horses in the country. This prompted trainer Kenny McPeek to give his hard-charging filly a break.
“It’s been an honor to train her over the last three years,†McPeek said. “She’s sound and healthy. Her owner, Peter Callahan, and I thought she deserved a little rest from racing. She’s a classy filly, a sincere pleasure. She has the heart of a true champion and gave her all. She’s an exceptional horse – one of those rare horses you don’t see very often.â€
This illustrated itself in the 2020 Preakness where Swiss Skydiver ran one of the greatest races this century. She outran 2020 Horse of the Year Authentic in a memorable stretch drive to become only the sixth filly to win the Preakness. En route, she ran the second-fastest time in Preakness history, covering the 1 3/16 miles in 1:53.1 – a 10th-of-a-second slower than Secretariat’s 1973 record time.
This is a well-traveled filly
Last year, Swiss Skydiver raced 10 times over nine different tracks. She won five, including Grade 1s in the Preakness and Alabama Stakes. She added seconds in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks and Grade 2 Blue Grass, against the boys.
This year, she opened her 4-year-old campaign winning the Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita Park. For her career, Swiss Skydiver is 7-3-2 in 16 starts, banking $2,216,480 in earnings.
