The new 2025 season remains status quo for Skippylongstocking as the 6-year-old son of Exaggerator targets a three-peat in the $125,000 Challenger Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs March 8.
For the third consecutive year, the Challenger will act as Skippylongstocking's bounce-back race from the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1). However, the Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee exits a much better performance in the Jan. 25 Pegasus this year than he has in years prior, finishing a solid third behind White Abarrio and Locked.
The career earner of more than $3.3 million will start the 1 1/16-mile contest from the far outside in the eight-horse field as he seeks an eighth career graded triumph.
"He's doing well. He ran well in the Pegasus, the best he's run in that race," Joseph told BloodHorse. "He's normally coming into the Challenger off a bad race, and we're using it as a pick-me-up. This year he's coming in good and we hope he can make it three in a row.
"He's going to have to run well. There's some good horses in there. Brad Cox' horse, Most Wanted, is coming back and he looks tough. And Bill Mott's horse (Bendoog) also is talented."
Joseph has a 2025 campaign in mind for Skippylongstocking that would mostly follow what he did in 2024.
"If all goes well here, we'll go to the Oaklawn Handicap after this one. It's a race he won last year, and then we could follow the same path and try the Stephen Foster again. We tried something different, and he didn't get the best ride in the Foster last year with Jose (Ortiz) sending him hard. I'd like to try that race again.
"I'm looking to keep the same pattern with him with one difference. I always wanted to try him in the Breeders' Cup Classic. It's far off, but if everything goes well and he's in top form at the end of the year, I'd like to run him in the Classic."
One of his chief competitors will be Gary and Mary West's Most Wanted, who saw his unbeaten streak snapped at four when defeated three-quarters of a length by Rattle N Roll in the Clark Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs Nov. 29, his first start against elders. The Brad Cox-trained 2024 Oklahoma Derby (G3) winner has been freshened since that effort and has been working steadily at Payson Park Training Center this winter.
O Captain's neck victory at Gulfstream Park Jan. 29 ended a 15-race losing streak. Claimed out of that start for $25,000 by owner JC Racing Stable and trainer Carlos Narvaez, the grade 2-placed son of Carpe Diem aims to keep that momentum going as he returns to the graded ranks for the first time in two years.
Also included in the field are two-time graded stakes winner Instant Coffee, two-time stakes winner Patriot Spirit, and group 1-placed Bendoog.
Tampa Bay Downs, Saturday, March 8, 2025, Race 5Entries: Michelob Ultra Challenger S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Life Is Precious (KY) Daniel Centeno 119 Gerald S. Bennett 20/1 2 2O Captain (KY) Samuel Marin 119 Carlos Narvaez 30/1 3 3Instant Coffee (KY) Dylan Davis 119 Chad Summers 15/1 4 4El Principito (FL) Samy Camacho 119 Gerald S. Bennett 30/1 5 5Patriot Spirit (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 121 Michael B. Campbell 6/1 6 6Most Wanted (KY) Florent Geroux 121 Brad H. Cox 3/2 7 7Bendoog (KY) Flavien Prat 119 William I. Mott 5/1 8 8Skippylongstocking (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 123 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 7/5
