Skippylongstocking Edges Poster in Harlan's Holiday

In racking up 12 victories in 35 starts, with 10 of those wins in graded stakes, Skippylongstocking has demonstrated speed, class, and longevity. And let's not forget tenacity. The latter trait was on display Dec. 20 in the $150,000 Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park when the 6-year-old overcame second-turn traffic trouble and outgamed Poster by a head. The victory was his second in the Harlan's Holiday, following an initial victory in the 1 1/16-mile dirt race when he was a 3-year-old in 2022. Rebounding from two distant summer losses when unplaced in the Whitney Stakes (G1) and Charles Town Classic Stakes (G2), he showed eagerness in the Harlan's Holiday from start to finish. He stalked inside in third as Hold My Bourbon shot off to the lead with fractions of :22.87 and :45.95 under Irad Ortiz Jr. Late on the backstretch, Hold My Bourbon began to tire, and Skippylongstocking looked poised to take over, but Miguel Vasquez on pace-pressing longshot Con Compania (CHI) kept his mount hot on the heels of the leader, preventing Skippylongstocking and jockey Tyler Gaffalione from finding an immediate opening. But Gaffalione was able to angle outside of bunched traffic late on the second turn after 6 furlongs in 1:10.99, engaging 2024 Remsen Stakes (G2) winner Poster, who had swooped up to take an early stretch lead with a wide rally beneath Flavien Prat. The two horses then dueled through the lane. Skippylongstocking, a bay son of Exaggerator out of the War Chant mare Twinkling, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.05. He paid $6.80 to win. "It's a gutsy performance and that's the kind of horse he is," trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. The 2016 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner, Exaggerator will stand in 2026 at Elite Thoroughbreds in Louisiana. Favored Poster, a 3-year-old coming off a third-level allowance optional claiming victory at Churchill Downs, finished 5 1/2 lengths clear of Catalytic in third. Skippylongstocking improved his earnings to $3,775,250 for owner Daniel Alonso, who bought him for $37,000 from the Top Line Sales consignment at the 2021 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. "He's a lot of fun to be around," Gaffalione said of the horse, crediting Joseph and his staff for their care. "He's a barn favorite, so hopefully he can keep building and hopefully we can get him a grade 1." A top-level stakes victory is one of the few things Skippylongstocking has not accomplished. He has run second or third in four grade 1s. The Harlan's Holiday often propels horses into the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream. No Harlan's Holiday participant has won the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus since the race was renamed from the Donn Handicap and had its purse boosted beginning in 2017. Skippylongstocking has raced in the Pegasus three times, with his best finish a third earlier this year. The $3 million Pegasus World Cup is Jan. 24. Ground-Saving Ms. Bucchero Captures Sugar Swirl In earlier stakes action on the Gulfstream main track, Ms. Bucchero cut the corner in the $125,000 Sugar Swirl Stakes under Ortiz to outrun wide-racing runner-up Nic's Style and pacesetting Mystic Lake, who showed. The winner, a 5-year-old chestnut daughter of Bucchero, notched her third stakes win and 10th career victory in 19 starts for owner/trainer Diane Morici. She raced 6 furlongs in 1:09.47 on a fast track, returning $8.80 for a $2 wager. The Pamela Edel-bred mare is the second stakes winner produced from the Mutakddim mare Give Glory to God. Bucchero will stand the 2026 breeding season in New York at Ironhorse Stallions for $12,500.