Skippylongstocking rebounds nicely to take Challenger

OLDSMAR, Fla. – The connections of Skippylongstocking exhaled a sigh of relief Saturday after their horse rebounded from failing to finish the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup with a professional 2 1/2-length victory in the Grade 3, $100,000 Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Receiving a perfect stalking trip from Tyler Gaffalione, Skippylongstocking overtook the pacesetting Impacto at the quarter pole and easily held Sherlock’s Jewel at bay through the stretch for the victory, his second straight in the Challenger. Sherlock’s Jewel finished second by a neck over Mbagnick. Dynamic One was fourth, followed by Impacto and Dash Attack.

The victory was the seventh from 22 starts for Skippylongstocking, a 5-year-old son of Exaggerator owned by Daniel Alonso and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr.

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More importantly, Saturday’s performance enabled those connections to put the Pegasus World Cup behind them. In that race, Tyler Gaffalione pulled up Skippylongstocking at the top of the lane. It was deduced that he was simply overheated after being rushed to make the lead from post 12.

“It’s a relief obviously, coming off when he was eased in that race [the Pegasus World Cup],” Joseph said by phone after the Challenger. “There was a lot of pressure. We did all the diagnostic tests, made sure everything checked out well. It was an abnormal performance that day.”

Both Joseph and Gaffalione said it was a mistake to send Skippylongstocking so hard to the lead in the Pegasus, but did so because of his outside draw in that 12-horse field.

Saturday, Skippylongstocking again broke on top, but was overtaken by Impacto, who had a length lead through fractions of 23.80 seconds for the quarter, 46.94 for the half, and 1:10.93 for six furlongs. Skippylongstocking took over at the quarter pole and was never seriously threatened thereafter.

“We were a little concerned that we would be the only speed,” Gaffalione said. “My horse jumped out well, the outside horse put a little bit of pressure, my horse relaxed and we were able to let him go and he got into a great rhythm.”

Skippylongstocking covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.12 and returned $3.40 as the favorite.

Joseph said that Skippylongstocking would be pointed to the Grade 1, $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap on April 20.

Columbia Stakes

Full Nelson made it four straight wins since being stretched out in distance by trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo, sitting off the pace Saturday, making a big move around the turn, and drawing off to a 1 3/4-length victory in the $75,000 Columbia Stakes for 3-year-olds.

Fulmineo outfinished Move to Gold to get second by a neck. In a Jam, the 9-5 favorite, finished fourth and was followed by Quokka, El Principito, Tok Tok, Rose Collector, and Two Ghosts. Ninja Star was scratched.

Full Nelson was claimed last September for $35,000 by D’Angelo on behalf Al Gold and Joseph Hardoon. Two starts after that, he won a starter allowance on Gulfstream Park’s synthetic surface, followed by two allowance wins on the turf at Tampa before Saturday.

D’Angelo said he flirted with the of running on Tapeta at Turfway Park, but ultimately decided to stay keep him on turf and not ship him to Kentucky.

Though Full Nelson had won his most recent race on the lead, jockey Samy Camacho said he was content to sit third when longshots El Principito and Rose Collector went to the front. Full Nelson was actually fourth midway up the backside as Quokka went inside of him.

But when Camacho asked Full Nelson to run entering the turn, he joined and then passed the leaders and was a handy winner.

“The plan in my mind was it all depends how he breaks,” Camacho said. “If he breaks on top I’m going to be on the lead. If somebody tries to go crazy, I’ll let them go.”

Camacho said when he saw those two longshots go forward, “I sat there [and thought] well, it’s perfect. The only thing I worry about is when [El Principito] is done that he pushes me too wide. Thank God, I had so much horse and won the race.”

Full Nelson, a son of Lord Nelson, covered the mile 1:35.42 and returned $9.80.

* Favored Sterling Silver ($5.20) got off the rail inside the eighth pole and was able to run down pacesetting Poiema to win the $50,000 Mantee overnight handicap by a short head. It was 1 3/4 lengths back to Night Cap in third.

Javier Castellano rode the winner for Tom Albertrani and owner Mark Anderson.

Albertrani said earlier in the week that if Sterling Silver ran well in the Manatee, she would be considered for the Grade 1, $600,000 Madison at Keeneland on April 6.

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