Joseph happy with Wood Memorial efforts of Skippylongstocking, A. P.'s Secret

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Although Skippylongstocking and A. P.’s Secret finished third and fourth, respectively, while never seriously threatening the two leaders at the end of Saturday’s Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. couldn’t have been happier with their performances and is looking forward to what might be next for his two improving 3-year-olds.

Skippylongstocking and A. P.’s Secret both earned career-best Beyer Speed Figures in the 1 1/8-mile Wood, the former a 91 and the latter an 89. Both continue to progress, just as Joseph thought they might, once stretching out in distance in their 3-year-old campaigns.

“I thought they both ran big,” Joseph noted immediately after the race. “Skippy got a trip, he made a move outside Mo Donegal. I think he just got outclassed, although he ran as good as you could ask a horse to run.”

Skippylongstocking had already proven himself going nine furlongs in his previous start five weeks earlier, winning an allowance race here by 3 3/4 lengths while posting an 89 Beyer. He finished that same margin behind Mo Donegal in the Wood.

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“He probably won’t get into the Derby on points, although if he did we’d probably take a chance and send him,” Joseph said. “If not, we might think Belmont or shoot for those kind of other derbies around the country and try to bank some money.”

Skippylongstocking is currently listed in 28th position on the Kentucky Derby points list with 20 points and $86,350 in non-restricted stakes earnings.

“A. P. showed up, that’s the main thing,” Joseph said of A. P.’s Secret, who finished 5 1/4 lengths behind the winner after forcing the pace of runner-up Early Voting for nearly the first mile of the Wood. “I know he’s got the ability, he’s just not quite there yet.”

Joseph said Monday he has still not made a decision as to whether his top Kentucky Derby prospect, Florida Derby winner White Abarrio, would have two or three works prior to shipping to Churchill Downs for the race.

“I’ll probably make that decision Wednesday or Thursday,” Joseph said. “I like to always keep replaying scenarios in my head until as late as possible.”

Alvarado has riding triple

It was quite a weekend for locally based Junior Alvarado, Skippylongstocking’s regular rider over his last three starts, who earlier in the day guided Speaker’s Corner to an eye-catching 4 1/4-length triumph in the Grade 1 Carter. Alvarado, who made the decision to remain a regular on the South Florida circuit following the conclusion of the Championship meet, also was the riding star here on Sunday’s 10-race program, posting a hat trick that concluded with a popular tally for Joseph astride the recently claimed Rhymes Like Dimes in the afternoon’s feature event.

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“You win a Grade 1 and get to come back to what is home for me now, almost riding the whole card with a lot of very live horses,” Alvarado said after completing his big day here Sunday. “It keeps you going. It gets you motivated to do even better. I’m just happy to be in this position right now.”

Among the other new faces to join the local riding colony for the spring-summer sessions is veteran David Lopez, the son of former jockey C.C. “Chuck” Lopez and grandson of Carlos Lopez. David Lopez had been a regular on the West Coast since 2015, riding primarily at Golden Gate Fields, his career interrupted for nearly 2 1/2 years due to severe back injuries suffered in a training hours accident in 2017.

“I did well at every track in California, I just wanted to be on the East Coast because that’s where my family is,” Lopez said after guiding Khopilot to a second-place finish for trainer Bob Hess in his first local mount last Thursday. “My father and grandfather both did well riding here.