Skygaze An Easy Winner of Belle Mahone Stakes

Ending a three race win streak last out with a third in the Grade III Trillium Stakes, Skygaze (4f American Pharoah x Skyscape, by Marquetry) returned to her winning ways with a victory in Sunday’s Listed Belle Mahone Stakes.

Breaking from the middle gate in the 1 1/16 mile race on Woodbine’s synthetic surface, Skygaze shadowed the leader in second with Patrick Husbands aboard. The jockey let his mount confront the leader around the turf and in just a few bounds, Skygaze had the win.

She spent the stretch run building her margin to win her fifth career race by three lengths.

Giving trainer Mark Casse the top half of the exacta, the Tracy Farmer owned filly earned her first stakes victory after two third place finishes in Grade III races.

Tracy Farmer went to $300,000 to secure the American Pharoah daughter from the Gainesway consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2018.

Skygaze is a half-sister to Grade II winner Sky Cape and stakes winner Sunny Skies as one of five stakes performers for her dam Skyscape. The filly is also the last foal out of that unraced mare, who produced nine winners from 12 to race.

The sire of 22 stakes winners, American Pharoah leads all Northern Hemisphere third crop sires by number of Grade I winners at 3, number of stakes winners, number of graded stakes winners (10), number of graded stakes performers (23), number of Grade 1 performers (10), and he sits second by number of stakes performers overall at 36.