Skippylongstocking repels Poster for game victory in Harlan's Holiday
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It would have been hard to draw up a more exciting or memorable conclusion to the $150,000 Harlan’s Holiday Stakes. The 6-year-old warhorse Skippylongstocking dug in gamely to turn back a stretch long bid from the promising young Poster to register a much-deserved head victory in the Grade 3 fixture for older horses Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
Skippylongstocking came into the 1 1/16-mile Harlan’s Holiday with earnings in excess of $3.6 million but off one of the most disappointing performances of his sensational career, a last-place finish four months earlier as the 2-1 favorite in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic. Poster, on the other hand, entered the starting gate for the Harlan’s Holiday off arguably the most impressive performance of his six-race career, a game victory against high-priced allowance/option-claiming competition over the turf last month at Churchill Downs.
Skippylongstocking, who carried highweight of 126 pounds, was reunited with jockey Tyler Gaffalione for the Harlan’s Holiday, the pair having teamed up to finish third in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational earlier this year before combining to win the Grade 3 Challenger at Tampa Bay Downs six weeks later.
As expected, Skippylongstocking’s stablemate Hold My Bourbon set the early pace, carving out lightning-fast fractions of 22.87 seconds and 45.94 for the opening half. Skippylongstocking rated in easy striking distance of the leader while saving ground for the opening six furlongs before having to alter course and swing out from behind the tiring leader entering the stretch.
Poster, on the other hand, raced near the rear of the compact seven horse field but within easy striking distance from the outset. The winner of the 2024 Remsen swung five wide while launching his bid on the final bend, joined Skippylongstocking on even terms upon settling into the stretch but could never get past the winner at any point through the final furlong.
It was another 5 1/2 lengths further back to Catalytic, who was followed in order by Classic of Course, the tiring Hold My Bourbon, Con Compania, and Racing Driver.
Skippylongstocking, who increased his lifetime earnings to $3.79 million by virtue of his 12th career win, returned $6.80 after completing the distance over a fast track in 1:43.05.
“You never know if they’re going to come back. After two bad races you never know,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “Horses are trial and error and you just try to observe what they’re telling you. And even though he’s six soon to turn seven, he was training as good as he’s ever trained in his life. And we were quietly optimistic that he would run well. But you never know.”
Joseph praised Gaffalione’s ride in the Harlan’s Holiday, saying one of the keys to Skippylongstocking’s success over the years is to ride him patiently.
“He got the thumps last time but we sent him hard against a huge bias that day [at Charles Town] and today he redeemed himself,” Joseph commented. “He got his momentum stopped, he ran into the back of my other horse who was stopping [Hold My Bourbon]. Poster had all the momentum, he had to kind of dig and rally. It was a gusty performance but that’s the kind of horse he is. That’s why he’s had the career he’s had. Because he’s got the heart. And that’s something you can’t beat.”
Joseph said the plan is to point Skippylongstocking to a record fourth consecutive start in the Pegasus World Cup here on Jan. 24.
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