Skippylongstocking likely for Whitney try

Skippylongstocking, a $2.3 million earner who spends most of the year in South Florida, is now based at Saratoga for the summer, according to his trainer, Saffie Joesph Jr.

Skippylongstocking ran third in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs in his last start June 29 and before that won the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap.

“He went from Churchill to Saratoga,” Joseph said. “No plans for him yet. We’ll probably decide in the next week, but there’s a possibility he’ll go to the Whitney.”

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The Grade 1, $1 million race is Aug. 3 at Saratoga.

Libban is another Joseph stakes winner who is now settled in at Saratoga. She was a more than five-length winner of the $125,000 Wasted Tears earlier this month at Lone Star Park, one start after running second by a head in the track’s $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff, her first two starts on turf.

“Since she’s got on the grass, she’s definitely improved,” Joseph said. “She’s a filly that always showed potential. On the dirt she won, but she just never seemed to make the next jump. We put her on the grass and her first grass race was decent. She just got beat and was little green in the turns. The second race, she really quickened nicely and won well.”

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