Sky Flight stars in Tropical Park Derby; Sandiva prevails in Oaks

John Oxley's Sky Flight stretched his win streak to three while making his

stakes debut in Saturday's $75,000

Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream Park, overhauling pacesetter Cement

Clement in deep stretch to score by a length. Jose Lezcano was up for trainer

Mark Casse on the improving three-year-old colt and Sky Flight completed 1 1/16

miles in 1:40 1/5 on the firm turf.

The son of Sky Mesa paid $11.40 to win as the 9-2 third choice among 12

rivals and Sky Flight has now earned $105,444 from four turf starts. The bay

Kentucky-bred finished fifth when making his career bow at Kentucky Downs on

September 13 and defeated maiden special weight rivals at Keeneland on October

18. He entered Saturday's race off a four-length romp over entry-level allowance

rivals at Churchill Downs on November 13.

Cement Clement, a 25-1 outsider following a ninth in the December 6 Emerald

at Gulfstream, threatened to steal the Tropical Park Derby, establishing splits

of :23 1/5, :46 and 1:10 on a short lead before being challenged by Sky Flight.

The winner settled in midpack during the early stages, rallying from 8 1/2

lengths back after the opening half-mile.

Bred by Aaron Sones and Beverly Sommer, Sky Flight was purchased for $80,000

at the 2012 Keeneland September yearling sale. He's out of the stakes-placed

Unbridled mare Cordoba, a half-sister to the multiple Grade 1-placed filly Along

the Sea.

In the filly counterpart, the $75,000

Tropical Park Oaks, Al Shaqab Racing's Sandiva overhauled pacesetter Party

Now in midstretch and held determinedly as that rival re-rallied late,

registering her first U.S. stakes victory with a neck decision.

A multiple Group 3 winner overseas, the Irish-bred Party Now is now trained

by Todd Pletcher. Javier Castellano guided the chestnut daughter of

Footstepsinthesand through 1 1/16 miles in 1:41 3/5.

The winner stalked in third as 2-1 favorite Party Now established splits of

:24 3/5, :49 1/5 and 1:13. She launched her bid

entering the stretch, rallying quickly to seize a half-length advantage with a

sixteenth of a mile remaining. Party Now battled back to make it close on the

wire, but Sandiva was able to prevail and returned a $10.60 win mutuel as the

4-1 third choice.