BALTIMORE, 05-17-13---Copperville Farm’s Dance to Bristol tracked the speed through the far turn, then charged to the lead and won as her rider pleased in the $100,000 Skipat Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

Six fillies and mares faced the starter in the six-furlong test contested over the fast main track. Dance to Bristol left the starting gate as the 3-5 post-time favorite under jockey Xavier Perez for trainer Ollie Figgins III. At the finish, Dance to Bristol was first, pacesetter Orange’s Lil Sis had finished second and Kalambaka Queen was third.

The daughter of Speightstown was winning for the fourth straight time while capturing her fourth lifetime stakes. She completed the distance in 1:11.86 and paid $3.20.

Skipat Stakes Quotes

Ollie Figgins II (trainer, Dance to Bristol, winner)– “It set up good for us with that other filly (scratched Winning Image) out of the race. I just kind of told Xavier to keep it close and that’s how it worked out. This horse is real easy to train. Even in defeat, she’s run awfully hard. Xavier feels strong about this horse because she’s an easy one to ride. She’ll run in the Bed of Roses (G3) at Belmont (on June 15) if she comes out OK. Three weeks won’t be a problem.”

Xavier Perez (jockey, Dance to Bristol, winner)– “We were sitting where we wanted. The ‘1’ and the ‘2’ horses were fighting it out. I just wanted her to stay on and relax. At the three-eighths pole, the ‘2’ then took back on the rail and I put pressure on my horse and she took off running. She gave me more when I tapped her left-handed down the stretch. The rail is a little deep so I wanted her on the outside. The last sixteenth, I looked back and started celebrating.”

About Pimlico Race Course

Historic Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness® Stakes, the middle jewel in horse racing's famed Triple Crown, first opened its doors on October 25, 1870, and is the second oldest racetrack in the United States. Pimlico has played host to racing icons and Baltimoreans have seen the likes of legendary horses such as Man o’ War, Seabiscuit, Secretariat, Affirmed and Cigar thunder down the stretch in thrilling and memorable competition. For more information on Pimlico, visit www.pimlico.com.

Pimlico Race Course is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America's top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world's largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a major producer of televised horse racing programming through its HRTV cable and satellite network and is North America's premier supplier of virtual online horse racing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.