LEXINGTON, Ky. – Skippylongstocking is looking to crash the highest echelon of the older handicap ranks after a solid start to his career, just like some of his opponents will be doing in the Ben Ali Stakes. It’s just that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and there will be chances beyond this Grade 3 race Saturday at Keeneland. “We originally thought about going to the Oaklawn Handicap or the Alysheba before we settled on this race,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said of Skippylongstocking, perhaps the deserving favorite in a field of seven in the $300,000 Ben Ali. “It looks like a good spot for him. Hopefully, he’ll run another big one, and as the year goes on, we can take him up the class ladder.” Skippylongstocking, owned by Daniel Alonso, has turned in several big efforts from 16 career races. The Exaggerator colt won the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby last August with a 102 Beyer Speed Figure before ending his 3-year-old season with a 106 in winning the Harlan’s Holiday on New Year’s Eve at Joseph’s primary base, Gulfstream Park in Florida. His latest race was outstanding, too, as he stalked the pace under Irad Ortiz Jr. in a dominant triumph with a 96 Beyer in the Grade 3 Challenger last month on the Tampa Bay Derby undercard at Tampa Bay Downs. “He won last time quite well, and he’s had some really good preparation for this one,” Joseph said. “We’re very happy where we are with him right now.” Ortiz will be back aboard Skippylongstocking breaking from post 4 in the Ben Ali, which has been extended a half-furlong from its traditional distance to 1 3/16 miles. Pioneer of Medina and Rattle N Roll look like the top challengers to Skippylongstocking. Pioneer of Medina (post 1, Tyler Gaffalione), trained by Todd Pletcher, broke a five-race losing streak in winning a Churchill Downs allowance last fall, then continued in good form when second to Skippylongstocking with a 103 Beyer in the Harlan’s Holiday, then winning the Grade 3 Mineshaft at Fair Grounds in February. He then regressed slightly when sixth in the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic four weeks ago. Rattle N Roll (post 5, Brian Hernandez Jr.) already is a Grade 1 winner at Keeneland, having accounted for the Breeders’ Futurity at the 2021 fall meet. Since then, the 4-year-old Connect colt has won three stakes from 11 tries while tipping past the $1 million earnings mark for the Lucky Seven Stable of the Mackin family. He has earned 100 Beyers in two of his last three starts, the latest while returning from a four-month-plus layoff when fourth in the New Orleans Classic. “He’s all class, no doubt,” said his trainer, Kenny McPeek. “He ought to move up off the New Orleans race, and we know what he’s done at Keeneland before.” :: Bet Keeneland with Confidence: Get DRF PPs, Picks, and Betting Strategies. Shop Now.  Tawny Port (post 7, Flavien Prat) also is a graded winner at Keeneland, having accounted last spring for the Grade 3 Lexington before finishing seventh in the Kentucky Derby. He then won the Ohio Derby and was third in the Jim Dandy but has been soundly defeated in each of his last three races. Trainer Brad Cox adds blinkers to his equipment for this one. Call Me Fast (post 3, Julien Leparoux) is the most likely pacesetter in the 92nd Ben Ali, but he’ll really need to up his Beyer game to still be around at the end. Trademark and Happy American round out the lineup. One of the 25 nominees to the Ben Ali was Rich Strike, who passed the race to await the Grade 2 Alysheba on May 5 at Churchill. The 2022 Kentucky Derby winner will have his final pre-race work “maybe Monday or Tuesday” at Churchill, trainer Eric Reed said. First post Saturday is 1 p.m. Eastern. The Ben Ali goes at 5:16 p.m. as the ninth of 10 races, directly following the co-featured Elkhorn Stakes, a 1 1/2-mile turf race for older horses. Three allowances (races 5, 7, and 10), all with six-figure purses, also are part of a terrific card. All seven Ben Ali starters are eligible for the additional $50,000 in Kentucky-bred bonuses included in the total purse. Early-morning rain is in the local forecast for Saturday, with fairer conditions and a high of 62 as the day wears on. The Ben Ali honors James Ben Ali Haggin, who died in 1914 after dominating the formative years of Kentucky racing as a breeder and owner. First run in 1917 at the old Kentucky Association track in Lexington, its roster of winners includes such notables as Decidedly (1963), Honest Pleasure (1977), Louis Quatorze (1997), and Mineshaft (2003). Scalding won last year for Shug McGaughey. This is the last Saturday of a 15-day meet that ends next Friday. Churchill Downs starts its spring meet next Saturday night. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.