Gulfstream Park Oaks Winner Swiss Skydiver Among Large Fild in Fantasy at Oaklawn Park

By Jim Freer

Swiss Skydiver and Lake Avenue, the winner and third place finisher in this year's Gulfstream Park Oaks  (Grade 2) are among 14 entrants in Friday's $400,000  Fantasy Stakes (Grade 3) at  Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

The Fantasy, for 3-year-old fillies, is 1 1/16 miles on the Oaklawn dirt track that is listed as fast.  It is the ninth race on the card with scheduled post of 6:09 p.m. Eastern (5:09 Central).

Swiss Skydiver, trained by Kenny  McPeek,  led at every call and was never seriously challenged as she won the Gulfstream Park Oaks by 3 1/4 lengths over Lucrezia on March 28.  Lake Avenue cme in thid a nose behind Lucrezia.

Swiss Skydiver won the 1 1/16 mile dirt race in 1:43.54 on a fast track.   She earned a Brisnet Speed Figure of 100, which is very good for a 3-year-old filly early in the season.

Several other horses in the Fantasy have shown early speed.

McPeek, in a phone interview from Oaklawn Park on Friday morning, said he expects that jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. will be able to keep Swiss Skydiver out of a speed duel.

"She has shown that she doesn't need the lead," McPeek said.

Swiss Skydiver, a daughter of Daredevil, has won two of her five career starts. In three raes where she rated off the lead  she finished first, second and third.


Paco Lopez rode Swiss Skydiver  in the Gulfstream Park Oaks.

Lopez has bee recoverimg from a broken hand and will return to riding at Gulfstream  on Saturday.

McPeek said he likely would have stayed with Lopez for the Fantsasy if his availability   had been certain.

Instead he will use Hernadez, who has been a "go to"  rider for him in recent years.

British Idiom is the likely favorite in the Fantasy.

She won last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile  Fillies at Santa Anita.

In her most recent start, British Idiom finished second and Swiss Skydiver finished third behind Finite in the Rachel Alexandra (Grade 2) at Fair  Grounds in New Orleans.

Regular  jockey Javier  Castellano  will ride British Idiom for Brad Cox in the Fantasy.

Lucrezia and Finite are not entered in the Fantasy. 




Swiss Skydiver has shown an ability t rate offthe pace in her ealy races