HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Skippylongstocking will be both the center of attention and biggest question mark Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the $150,000 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes. The 1 1/16-mile fixture serves as the final local prep for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Jan. 24. Skippylongstocking has earned nearly $3.7 million in a magnificently managed career during which he has won 11 races, eight of those victories coming in graded stakes. But the 6-year-old veteran’s current form will be the issue when he returns in the Harlan’s Holiday. He was eased to the wire nearly 40 lengths behind the winner in his quest to win a third straight Charles Town Classic on Aug. 22. :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports are available now.  “He got the thumps during the race at Charles Town. It’s something he’s had an issue with in the past, and obviously was very disappointing,” said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. “Obviously you can’t really judge him off that race. We backed off him after that, took our time bringing him back, and he’s trained really, really well for his return. “It’s hard to believe off his last effort, but I feel like he’s as good as ever, and if he runs back to those works and everything goes well he should run a really big number and be tough to beat in this spot.” Joseph does admit Skippylongstocking has some other obstacles to overcome Saturday in a race that he says will likely determine the horse’s future. “He’s obviously giving up a little fitness coming in off the layoff and he’s also giving away a lot of weight to the others,” said Joseph referring to the 126-pound impost Skippylongstocking must shoulder under the allowance conditions of the race. “His future will likely be determined by this race. Not just whether he runs again in the Pegasus, but down the road as well. He can’t throw another clunker.” Skippylongstocking is one of two horses Joseph will send out in the Harlan’s Holiday along with Hold My Bourbon, who has finished off the board in his only three previous stakes tries but is coming into this race off a series of strong works. In his last start, he finished fifth in a high-priced allowance/optional claimer at Keeneland on Oct. 24 that has subsequently produced three next-out winners. “We were going to run him in the Mr. Prospector, but then the complexion of this race started to change and Irad” – jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. – “was available,” said Joseph. Joseph was referring to the fact that Florida Derby winner Tappan Street passed the Harlan’s Holiday for an easier allowance race here Friday. “[Hold My Bourbon] likes to be forwardly placed and if he breaks well from the rail, he could wind up being on the lead,” Joseph said. Others vying for a potential berth in the 2026 Pegasus include Catalytic, Classic of Course, Poster, Racing Driver, and Con Compania. Poster has been lightly raced since registering a game nose victory in the Grade 2 Remsen a year earlier at Aqueduct. He has started just three times in the interim, most recently winning a one-mile allowance race over the turf at Churchill Downs five weeks ago. Con Compania, like Hold My Bourbon, figures to be forwardly placed while stretching out around two turns for the first time. He is coming off a wire-to-wire victory in a one-mile overnight handicap on Oct. 18. He was subsequently purchased privately and transferred to trainer Bob Dibona’s barn. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.