Susie Raisher Photo

Out On Bail outlasts Jet Sweep Joe in duel to capture $150K Skidmore

by Christian Abdo

Case Chambers, Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s New York-bred Out On Bail outdueled Jet Sweep Joe to take Friday’s $150,000 Skidmore, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for juveniles, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Mike Maker, the Tiz the Law gray is now 2-for-2 on the lawn, entering off a maiden score over the Skidmore course and distance on July 24. He began his career with a second and third when sprinting on the main track at Belmont at the Big A in May and June, respectively.

In victory, Maker notched his 17th win of the meet, good for second in the current trainer standings, five back of four-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown who leads with 22. The victory also provided the first stakes winner for Tiz the Law.

Piloted by Jose Ortiz, Out On Bail broke sharply from post 2 and settled into a tracking second position just off of Jet Sweep Joe, who was hustled to the front by Joseph Bealmear from the inside post to lead the four-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.53 seconds over the good turf.

Jet Sweep Joe jetted through the half-mile in 47.03 seconds with Out On Bail sticking to his side as Spiralizer and Classic Time were on even terms three lengths back giving chase. At the top of the stretch, Out On Bail and the early pacesetter were equal and it quickly became a two-horse race.

When straightened for home, it appeared the gray had momentum to the outside but the Paul McEntee-trained Jet Sweep Joe was game and there was no separating the two through five-eighths in 58.73.

After trading punches down the entirety of the lane, Out On Bail came out on top by a head in the final jumps, stopping the clock in 1:05. A stewards’ inquiry into the stretch duel and a jockey’s objection from Bealmear resulted in no change to the order of finish.

It was 9 1/2 lengths back to Spiralizer with Classic Time rounding out the order of finish. Governor Sam and Raise the Bar were scratched, along with main track-only entrant Soontobeking.

Ortiz said Out On Bail showed good fight to get to the wire first.

“The horse next to me kept drifting out almost every step of the way. Finally, in the last sixteenth I put a head in front,” said Ortiz. “I tried to keep my ground and I push him a little bit in, but almost the whole stretch he was laying on top of me the whole way.

“Nothing happened - just two good horses out there battling each other,” Ortiz added.

Maker said he expected the race to be between the top-two due to their early speed, but he didn’t expect to see the inquiry sign up after the finish.

“With the scratches, it made the race void of speed, so it looked like on paper the way it would develop,” said Maker. “You can watch the head-on and see the one horse just kept carrying and carrying us. It was kind of puzzling, but it’s not the first time I’ve been puzzled.”

Maker said a potential next start for Out On Bail is the Grade 3, $175,000 Futurity on October 4 at the Big A, which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in November at Del Mar.

“The Futurity makes sense,” the conditioner said of the six-furlong turf sprint.

McEntee said that he disagreed with the ruling about the stretch run.

"Both jockeys had their whips out - my jockey had it in his left and Jose had his in his right and they were bumping and banging down the lane, but three strides before the line my horse had his whole back end knocked out of the way," said McEntee. “He should have come down. My horse ran the best race.”

McEntee added that it was still a game effort from Jet Sweep Joe, who added another stakes-placing to go along with a second in the Tyro last-out on August 3 at Monmouth Park and a third in the Prairie Gold Juvenile on July 6 at Prairie Meadows.

"He [Bealmear] gave him a great ride and the fact he came back that quick from running in the Tyro was obviously a concern if it would be too quick back for him,” said McEntee. “He ran a winning race for all but a photo finish.”

Bred in the Empire State by Matthew Nestor, Out On Bail, out of the winning Street Cry mare Judge Lee, was a $110,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training.

He banked $82,500 in victory while improving his record to 4-2-1-1 and returning $5.10 for a $2 win bet as the post-time mutuel favorite.

Live racing resumes Saturday with a 12-race program that features the Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid presented by Caesars Sportsbook [Race 9] and the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama presented by Keeneland Sales [Race 10]. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.