Skippylongstocking Back on Top in the Hollywood Gold Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

If one could look up the word 'workmanlike' in racing's lexicon, it surely would have a picture of Alonso Daniel's Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator). And the 6-year-old one again proved that he fits the bill with a professional one-length score over Midnight Mammoth (Midnight Lute) in the GII Hollywood Gold Cup on Santa Anita's Memorial Day card.

Installed the 4-5 choice following a third in the nine-furlong GII Oaklawn Handicap Apr. 19, the two-time GII Charles Town Classic winner broke cleanly and settled in an even-tempo fifth as Packs a Wahlop (Creative Cause) strode to the front through a :22.55 opening quarter. Midnight Mammoth soon pressed the issue with Skippylongstocking and Tarantino (Pioneerof the Nile) in close pursuit following a half in :46.33, and the frontrunner began to get a bit rubber-legged after throwing down three quarters in 1:10.87. Taking over nearing the quarter pole, Midnight Mammoth was quickly collared by the oncoming favorite, and straightening for home, there was never any doubt who was best on the day as the Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee crossed the wire 3/4 of a length ahead of Midnight Mammoth. Second choice Extensive (City of Light) closed to get third while Tarantino rounded out the Super.

“He relaxed for me beautifully,” Irad Ortiz Jr. said. “We were planning to stay back and not be on the lead. I was happy where he was and he went on from there. The horse on the inside [Midnight Mammoth] was fighting back and my horse was fighting back as well.”

Ortiz Jr. and Joseph Jr. also teamed up to win the GI Gamely Stakes with Be Your Best (Ire) earlier on the card.

Skippylongstocking registered wins in the GIII West Virginia Derby and Harlan's Holiday Stakes at three, but also managed third-place efforts in the GI Belmont and GII Wood Memorial during his sophomore season. After pulling up in last year's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, the bay won his next two, including the GII Oaklawn Handicap. Third in the GI Stephen Foster, he finished off the board in the GI Whitney but rebounded to score by 5 3/4 lengths in Charles Town. Runner up in the GII Woodward, Skippylongstocking rounded out the season with a sixth in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar. This term, he came home third behind stablemate White Abarrio (Race Day) in the Pegasus before repeating in Tampa in the Challenger, however, he couldn't follow up with another win in the Oaklawn Handicap, and had to settle for third.

“He's just a hard knocking horse who takes his track with him everywhere he goes,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He's a sound horse and he's very strong mentally. We'll be forever grateful for him.”

 

Pedigree Notes:
In foal to Liam's Map, dam Twinkling was a $42,000 purchase at the OBS January Sale in 2018. For breeder Brushy Hill, the War Chant mare produced a trio of winners, including GSP Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map) and SW Olivia Twist (Mshawish). Responsible for a filly by Authentic in 2023–later a $550,000 buy at Keeneland September–and she dropped a filly by Not This Time last season. She was barren to a Curlin cover for this season.

Monday, Santa Anita
HOLLYWOOD GOLD CUP S.-GII, $201,000, Santa Anita, 5-26, 3yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:01.64, ft.
1–SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING, 124, h, 6, by Exaggerator
1st Dam: Twinkling, by War Chant
2nd Dam: Unhurried, by Out of Place
3rd Dam: Laughing Erin, by Irish Castle
($15,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $37,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Daniel
Alonso; B-Brushy Hill, LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Irad
Ortiz, Jr. $120,000. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 32-11-3-7,
$3,661,610. *1/2 to Olivia Twist (Mshawish), SW & GSP,
$321,579; 1/2 to Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map), SW & GSP,
$175,205. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Midnight Mammoth, 124, g, 6, Midnight Lute–Taker Home,
by Vindication. ($70,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Jeffrey Sengara;
B-Pedro Gonzalez & Jorge Herrera (KY); T-Craig Dollase.
$40,000.
3–Extensive, 122, c, 4, City of Light–Clothes Fall Off, by Daaher.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Cheyenne
Stable LLC; B-Candy Meadows LLC (KY); T-Michael W.
McCarthy. $24,000.
Margins: 3/4, 6, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.80, 12.20, 1.90.
Also Ran: Tarantino, Il Bellator, Packs a Wahlop, Arrowthegreat.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV.

 

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