Skippy Longstocking Fights with Poster to the Finish, Gulfstream Photo
Gulfstream Park Press
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Daniel Alonso’s Skippy longstocking fought off a long outdoor challenge Poster to the finish to triumph by a margin in Saturday’s $150,000 Harlan’s Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream Park, earning the ageless 6-year-old campaigner a berth in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on January 24.
The 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and older, in preparation for the 10th running of the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus at Gulfstream, was included in an 11-race program with five stakes, including the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G3), a 1 1/8-mile turf event for ages 3 and older that served as preparation for the $1 million Pegasus Turf World Cup Invitational (G1).
The overachieving son of Exaggerator, who captured the 2022 Harlan’s Holiday late in his three-year-old season, entered Saturday’s overtime on a pair of disappointing efforts while finishing seventh in the Aug. 2 Whitney (G1) at Saratoga and eighth in the Aug. 22 Charles Town Classic (G2), during which he experienced the thumps (a spasmic contraction of the diaphragm, similar to hiccups in humans).
“He came back, and you never know if they’re going to come back. If they have two bad races, you never know. Just try to observe what he tells you, and he trained as well as he’s ever trained in his life,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “He’s 6 and 7, but believe me, his works were as good as he’s ever worked, and we were quietly optimistic that he would run well. But you never know. I think you have to ride the horse patient. I think that’s one of the keys to him. Besides the thumps last time, we sent him hard that day against a huge bias and today he redeemed himself.”
Skippylongstocking, who captured the Gold Cup (G2) at Santa Anita in his start prior to his two most recent disappointments, got a patient, well-judged ride from Tyler Gaffalione, who saved ground as he followed his trailblazing stablemate. Hold my Bourbon around the first turn and down the backstretch past brisk fractions of 22.87 and 45.95 seconds for the first half mile. While Hold My Bourbon is pressed With companystarting to tire on the home bend, Skippylongstocking dropped back slightly but quickly recovered under Gaffalione, who made a three-wide move down the stretch but was immediately joined on the outside by Poster, the 3-2 favorite under Flavien Prat.
The stage was set for an epic battle between the experienced multiple stakes winner and Godolphin’s three-year-old colt, who returned from a seven-month layoff with an impressive victory at Churchill Downs. Poster put up a huge fight under Flavien Prat, but Skippylongstocking called on all his experience to take on the challenge.
“I’m so proud of him. All credit goes to Saffie and his team. I met him two weeks ago and Saffie said he was doing better than ever. From the moment we got on track he warmed up so well that I knew he was going to have a big race for us,” said Gaffalione. “He fought all the way – a courageous achievement. I am very proud of him.”
Skippylongstocking ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.05 to win his 10th overall during a career in which he earned more than $3.7 million.
“He got his momentum stopped. He bumped into the back of my other horse who was backing up. Prat got a good look at him there and waited to make sure he got stuck, but Tyler was able to split,” Joseph said. “Poster had all the momentum and then he had to dig a little and gather. It’s a courageous performance and that’s the kind of horse he is. That’s why he’s had the career he’s had, because he has the heart. That’s something you can’t teach.”
Skippylongstocking, who was Saturday’s 2-1 co-second choice with Hold My Bourbon, finished third in the Pegasus World Cup last season, won by Joseph stablemate White Abarrio.
“If the draw is right he can win the Pegasus, there’s no doubt about it. This year he played a big lead against White Abarrio from a terrible position,” Joseph said. “If he signs well and gets the right setup, it’s not impossible. We’ll see.”
The Eoin Harty-trained Poster, who was struck with a condylar fracture of his right foreleg in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) of the Road to the Kentucky Derby in March, finished 5 ½ lengths ahead of third-placed Catalytic.
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