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Gottcha Gold snags another Grade 3 in Skip Away GOTTCHA GOLD (Coronado's Quest), whose resume last year included a victory over Eclipse Award-winning older male Lawyer Ron in the Salvatore Mile H. (G3) and a second in the inaugural Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, notched his third graded stakes victory when taking Saturday's $141,000 Skip Away H. (G3) at Gulfstream Park. The five-year-old bay rated in second behind front-running longshot Mr. Umphrey (Jules) for the first six furlongs of the 1 1/8-mile test, assumed command from that rival at the top of the stretch, and drew off late under Chuckie Lopez for a 3 1/2-length victory. The final time over Gulfstream's fast track was 1:51 1/5. Mr. Umphrey, the 40-1 "rabbit" for his uncoupled stablemate, 6-5 favorite Frost Giant (Giant's Causeway), set fractions of :23, :45 3/5, and 1:09 2/5, and held on determinedly for second by a length over the late-charging Hunting (Coronado's Quest), who edged Frost Giant for third by three-quarters of a length. Frost Giant, heavily bet throughout the wagering, moved up to third around the far turn, but never offered a response while under a heavy drive by jockey Edgar Prado and faded to fourth. Indy Wind (A.P. Indy), Better Than Bonds (Sweetsouthernsaint), Dr. Pleasure (Thunder Gulch) and Pop Goes the Tiger (Tiger Ridge) completed the Skip Away order of finish. Gottcha Gold, whose other Grade 3 victory occurred in the Philip H. Iselin S. at Monmouth last year, paid $8.20, $5.20, and $3.20. Mr. Umphrey, who had captured a Gulfstream allowance only five days prior to the Skip Away, returned $26.20 and $11, while Hunting returned $3.20 to show. The exacta paid $174.60, the trifecta $689.80, and the 2-7-8-5 superfecta was worth $2,035.60. Gottcha Gold, bred in Florida by his owner Centaur Farms, is trained by Eddie Plesa Jr. Victory in the Skip Away boosted Gotcha's Gold career earnings to $777,420 and improved his career record to 25-8-4-1. Gottcha Gold is the only known starter from his stakes-winning dam, Gottcha Last (Pleasant Tap), who also has a two-year-old colt and a yearling filly, both by Trippi.
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