Handsome Mike filly takes to the turf for 1st victory

Handsome Mike’s 29th winner of 2021 is Take to the Skies, a 4-year-old filly who broke her maiden at Tampa Bay Downs yesterday despite a layoff of nearly eight months.

Ridden by Wilmer Garcia, Take to the Skies was off well in the race at one mile on the turf, settling in third on the inside She went after the leaders coming to the final turn, and survived a battle to the wire, holding off two fast-closing rivals in deep stretch. The filly bred by Ross Thomas Russell paid $5.60 as favorite and earned a check for $8,470; she has been worse than fourth just once in seven races.

Handsome Mike has progeny earnings of nearly $1.1 million this year, and is the ninth-leading sire among all those who will stand in Florida in 2022.