SKELLETI ON SHOW IN ROME
Likeable gelding Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), a Group 1 winner in France and Germany, continued to pad his admirable record with a second victory in the G2 Premio Roma at Capannelle on Sunday. The grey won his first edition in 2019.
Sent off at 6-5, the crowd=s pick raced last of all in the bog-like going, as Alastor (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) cut out the early running. Making up ground down the long straight, Skalleti raced out in the center of the course and was within striking distance with a quarter mile to travel. He quickly took over leadership duties shortly thereafter and resisted the late charge of Flag's Up (Ire)(War Command) and Brentford Hope (GB) (Camelot {GB}) to win by two lengths. The margin between the latter pair was 3 1/4 lengths at the line.
Jean-Claude Seroul=s 6-year-old has enjoyed his best season to date this term, which kicked off with a win in the G3 Prix Exbury at Saint-Cloud in March. ParisLongchamp=s G2 Prix d=Harcourt went his way on Apr. 11 and he scored his first Group 1 win in the G1 Prix d=Ispahan on May 30. Given a brief freshening, Skalleti returned with a five-length win in Munich=s G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis-Bayerisches Zuchtrennen on July 25. He found several too good on Sept. 12, running fourth in the G2 Prix Foy to Deep Bond (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}).