Multiple graded stakes winner Skippylongstocking will seek to regain the consistent form he showed earlier in the year in the $150,000 Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3) Dec. 20 at Gulfstream Park.
The 6-year-old son of Exaggerator has not placed in his most recent two starts, but those performances were quite different from his first four starts of the year that resulted in two wins and two thirds in graded stakes company. He won the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park, going 1 1/4 miles, and the Challenger Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs, going 1 1/16 miles. He was also third in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) and the Oaklawn Handicap (G2).
"His last two races haven't been up to par. His Whitney wasn't too bad. It was his first start back. We had missed some time. He made a big run and got tired. That was kind of an OK race," said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. referring to a seventh-place finish in the Whitney Stakes (G1) and an eighth in the Charles Town Classic Stakes (G2). "His Charles Town race was very disappointing. He got the thumps (a spasmic contraction of the diaphragm similar to hiccups in humans) in that race. It's something he's done from time to time."
Skippylongstocking is returning in the 1 1/16-mile Harlan's Holiday off a nearly four-month layoff. He returned to the work tab Nov. 7 at Palm Meadows Training Center for Joseph and has been working steadily since then, producing a 5-furlong bullet in :59.75 Dec. 5, followed by a sharp 4 furlongs in :47.70 Dec. 12.
"He's doing really, really well. He's training really well. We gave him a break. All the data that you could get back is positive," Joseph said. "He's 6 turning 7, but we feel like he's just as good now as when he's in peak form. Hopefully, that shows on Saturday."
Skippylongstocking has had a history of following up subpar performances with strong efforts.
"He's been in this position before where he hasn't run well and we've been able to get him back to form," Joseph said. "We're quietly confident that the real Skippy is going to show up."
Owner Daniel Alonso has been on quite a ride with Skippylongstocking, whom he bought for $37,000 out of the 2021 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale from Top Line Sales. The horse has won 11 of 34 career starts and banked $3,684,110 so far. He has three wins already at Gulfstream and four wins at the Harlan's Holiday distance.
Skippylongstocking will break from post 2 with jockey Tyler Gaffalione aboard. Gaffalione held the reins for the Challenger Stakes win and the third-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup.
Another challenger in the seven-horse field aiming to resharpen his form is Godolphin homebred Poster, a 3-year-old son of Munnings who won the Remsen Stakes (G2) at 2 and ran third in his first start of this year in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. He was fourth in his next start in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park before being given some time off by trainer Eoin Harty. Poster returned to racing Nov. 9 at Churchill Downs in a $100,000 1-mile optional claiming race on the grass that he won by half a length. Neither the Harlan's Holiday distance nor the dirt should be an issue with Poster since the Remsen was run at 1 1/8 miles on Aqueduct Racetrack's main track. The Harlan's Holiday will be the colt's first start at Gulfstream Park.
Others with stakes credentials and previous success at Gulfstream include grade 1-placed Catalytic, a 4-year-old son of Catalina Cruiser owned by Tami Bobo and trained by Antonio Sano. The colt ran second in the 2024 Florida Derby (G1) to Fierceness and two races later was second in the Carry Back Stakes at Gulfstream. He has a 3-6-0 record from nine starts at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track.
Amy Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone's Classic of Course also has a stakes win at Gulfstream, having won the 7 1/2-furlong Cutler Bay Stakes on the grass back in March. The son of Awesome of Course was gelded Aug. 31 and has won twice and placed third once since that procedure. Overall, Classic of Course has a 4-3-3 record in 13 starts at Gulfstream.
Also on the Saturday card at Gulfstream is another stakes race on dirt: the $125,000 Sugar Swirl Stakes, which lured seven fillies and mares to sprint 6 furlongs. There, Nic's Style, perfect in three starts at Gulfstream Park over her nine-race career, battles millionaire Mystic Lake, last year's Sugar Swirl winner.
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, December 20, 2025, Race 6Entries: Sugar Swirl S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1R Morning Brew (FL) Edgard J. Zayas 118 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 6/1 2 2Secret Revenge (KY) Jonathan Ocasio 120 Michael Lerman 20/1 3 3Ms. Bucchero (FL) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 120 Diane D. Morici 7/2 4 4Kiss Me Slow (KY) Rajiv Maragh 118 Anthony R. Margotta, Jr. 30/1 5 5Nic's Style (FL) Junior Alvarado 122 William I. Mott 9/5 6 6Mystic Lake (FL) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 8/5 7 7Win N Your In (FL) Miguel Angel Vasquez 118 Carlos A. David 10/1
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, December 20, 2025, Race 10Entries: Harlan's Holiday S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Hold My Bourbon (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 121 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 6/1 2 2Skippylongstocking (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 126 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 3/1 3 3Catalytic (KY) Javier Castellano 121 Antonio Sano 20/1 4 4Classic of Course (FL) Junior Alvarado 118 Patrick L. Biancone 10/1 5 5Poster (KY) Flavien Prat 118 Eoin G. Harty 2/1 6 6Racing Driver (KY) Edgard J. Zayas 118 Gustavo Delgado 6/1 7 7Con Compania (CHI) Miguel Angel Vasquez 121 Bobby S. Dibona 5/2
