Bobrovsky rallies to win the Skidmore (Adam Coglianese/NYRA)
By Keith McCalmont
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Bobrovsky saved his best for last, rallying past pacesetter Monster to capture Saturday’s $150,000 Skidmore, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for 2-year-olds, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained and co-owned by Dale Romans with Steve Berg, the Daredevil colt made his turf and stakes debut a winning one under Junior Alvarado. The talented bay, named for goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who backstopped the Florida Panthers to Stanley Cup championships in 2024-25, stalked Monster through splits of 21.85 seconds and 44.54 to the half-mile. Bobrovsky loomed large as the field straightened away with Monster on thin ice as his lead slipped away a sixteenth from home, leaving Bobrovsky to score by 1 3/4-lengths in a final time of 1:02.75 over the firm footing.
Romans said he’s enjoyed a newfound interest in hockey thanks to prominent horse owner Vinnie Viola, whose St. Elias Stables has campaigned stars such as 2017 Kentucky Derby-winner Always Dreaming and 2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic-winner Vino Rosso.
“Me and my partner – since Vinnie Viola bought the Panthers – started watching hockey for the first time and became big fans of the Panthers, and Bobrovsky, he’s a winner,” Romans said. “As the announcer called it when he broke his maiden here, ‘nothing gets past Bobrovsky.’ Stanley Cup, two Stanley Cups.”
Alvarado, aboard for the first time in the afternoon, said Bobrovsky was professional in victory.
“He broke good, then we got to sit second. Today he relaxed pretty nice,” Alvarado said. “I know he is a horse that can be keen sometimes, but he was very lovely today sitting behind the horse [Monster] and when I went for a run, he was there for me, so it was pretty good.”
Monster completed the exacta by three-lengths over 4-5 mutuel favorite Spirit of New York with Tough Critic rounding out the order of finish. Schwarzenegger, Sandal’s Song and Gypsy Art were scratched. Malus, who was eased to the wire by Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario, was provided a precautionary ride back to the barn for further evaluation as the rider indicated he wasn’t comfortable with the horse’s action.
Luis Saez said the Jose D’Angelo-trained Monster will improve with more racing.
“He’s a very fast horse. He broke good and he ran his race,” Saez said. “He got beat by a good horse. I feel like he’s learning. This is not an easy race, but I feel like after this he’s going to be a better horse.
“He tried and he fights,” Saez added. “It was his second start [on the turf], so I think he’s going to be alright.”
Bobrovsky made his first two starts in restricted maiden sprints over the main track, missing by a nose in his June 22 debut sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs at Churchill Downs. He followed with an emphatic 10 1/2-length score on July 24 here, winning the six-furlong sprint in frontrunning fashion and catching the eye of track announcer Frank Mirahmadi.
Romans, winner of the 2012 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer, said he was unable to get a turf work into Bobrovsky ahead of the Skidmore.
“We were supposed to work [on turf]. He had gone a little too fast before the work, so we just skipped it,” Romans said. “It all worked out. It turned out alright. Most of them will like the grass, but he had a lot of grass in his pedigree, and we decided it might help him duck some of the heavy hitters early.
“I was real pleased,” Romans added. “I was nervous at first because you don’t know if they’ll pass a horse like he did, but I’m real happy he was able to do it.”
Romans said Bobrovsky could come under consideration for the $1 million [$500K KTDF] Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint going 6 1/2-furlongs on August 31.
“It’s quick back but we’ve got to look at it, for that kind of money,” Romans said. “This horse could, I think, be a Breeders’ Cup [Juvenile] Turf Sprint horse, is my point there.”
Bred in Kentucky by Mike Rutherford, the $37,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase banked $82,500 in victory while improving his record to 3-2-1-0. He returned $9.40 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga with a 10-race card, featuring the Listed $150,000 Bolton Landing in Race 8. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.
