HALLANDALE, Fla. - Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. had one word to describe his feelings the morning after sending out Skippylongstocking and White Abarrio to finish first and second respectively in Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational.  “Relief!” Joseph said the pressure he had endured leading up to the Pegasus had been unbearable, and came from the scrutiny surrounding White Abarrio after he was scratched in the post parade prior to the start of the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. That launched a tumultuous 11-week period during which Joseph was never really able to get the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner on a proper training schedule to prepare for his next major goal, the defense of his title in the Pegasus World Cup. “I’ve never been under so much pressure and that’s where you need your faith the most,” Joseph said. “It only got worse the closer we got to the race. For me it was just constant stress, stress, stress. Everybody felt the pressure. The owners, too. We could have taken the easy route and just scratched him. Instead, we took the hard route, followed all the protocols to make sure the horse was as good as he could be physically coming into the race. "We were all amazed at how well he ran under the circumstances. He really didn’t deserve to lose, but I think he really earned a lot of respect in defeat.” :: Play Gulfstream Park with confidence! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports are available now.  Joseph admitted his focus during the running of the Pegasus was totally on White Abarrio and that he never really saw Skippylongstocking until he loomed up on the outside at the top of the stretch. “At the quarter pole, when White Abarrio opened up a lead, visually I thought he was going to win, although even at that point I couldn’t believe it considering what he’d been through coming up to the race,” Joseph recalled. “Then I saw another horse coming and could see he was in trouble. Obviously it was a relief when I finally realized it was Skippy.” Joseph, who had sent out 15 starters without a victory on Saturday’s card prior to the Pegasus, reported Sunday that both horses came out of the race in good order. “White Abarrio slept this morning, had a good nap after running his heart out yesterday, then got up and jogged off well,” Joseph said. “And Skippy also seems to have bounced out of the race in good order.” Joseph said no decisions have been made regarding what might be next for either of his 7-year-old superstars, although he said it is unlikely they will meet again the rest of the year. “Even if we’re fortunate enough to make the Breeders’ Cup with both of them, Skippy would run in the Classic and we’d try to bring White Abarrio back again in the Dirt Mile,” Joseph said. Skippylongstocking, who received a 104 Beyer Speed Figure in the Pegasus World Cup, earned an automatic, fees-paid berth into the Classic with his victory in the first Breeder’ Cup Challenge race of the season in the division. “I haven’t had a real good chance to talk to the connections of either horse since the race,” Joseph said. “I know going to Dubai is an option for each of them, although I don’t consider it a priority at this point. As far as White Abarrio is concerned, I feel like wherever he runs next, he should take a big step forward off of this effort.”      While Joseph’s dynamic duo were the stars of the show in the Pegasus, trainer Brad Cox’s pair of Disco Time and Tappan Street were the biggest disappointments. Disco Time finished a tiring eighth as the 3-2 favorite, Tappan Street was a non-threatening 12th and last as the second choice in the wagering. Cox reported that Disco Time “looked good” coming out of the race on Sunday morning. “Maybe he went a little quick early, he just didn’t have an answer for those horses,” Cox said. “He and Tappan Street both lack seasoning. Disco is a Grade 1 talent. Just maybe he needs a few more runs and we need to find the right distance. I’m not sure a mile and one-eighth is really his thing. "Tappan Street was a head-scratcher. There was just nothing, flat run, didn’t offer anything. He scoped fine and jogged well this morning.” - additional reporting by David Grening     :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.