Skippylongtocking fine after baffling Charles Town Classic
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. reported that Skippylongstocking seems none the worse for wear following his very disappointing performance last Friday when virtually eased to the wire nearly 40 lengths behind winner Banishing in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic.
“He got pressured early and went quick on the lead for that track and came out of the race with a good case of the thumps, but neither should cause him to run a race like that,” Joseph said.
Skippylongstocking, who was seeking his third straight Charles Town Classic victory, came into the race having finished seventh, beaten 13 lengths, less than three weeks earlier in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga.
“Running back in three weeks shouldn’t be an issue,” Joseph said. “He did the same thing, started in the Whitney and won this race last year. It’s all a bit mysterious, but physically he’s all right.”
Skippylongstocking’s effort in the Charles Town Classic was reminiscent of the 2024 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. There, Skippylongstocking was pulled up during the running of the race, after which he also was diagnosed with a case of the thumps, a spasming of the diaphragm. He bounced back from that incident to win his next two starts, the Grade 3 Challenger at Tampa Bay Downs and the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, over the next two months.
“Obviously, this is his worst race other than the Pegasus, so we’ll take a little time and make sure things continue to check out well before deciding on what might be next,” Joseph said.
The trip to Charles Town on Friday wasn’t a total loss for the Joseph barn, which won a pair of stakes earlier on the card, the Pink Ribbon with Mystic Lake and the Charles Town Oaks with Indy Bay.
Mystic Lake led throughout to post a convincing three-length victory over the odds-on Vahva in the seven-furlong Pink Ribbon, the third stakes win in a row for the 4-year-old daughter of Mo Town. Mystic Lake won the Charles Town Oaks over the same strip one year earlier.
“She really showed up big, was able to get easy fractions, and it’s hard to beat her on a track she likes when she gets a trip like that,” Joseph said. “And she beat a really nice filly in the process.”
Despite the effort, Joseph said he has no plans to point Mystic Lake to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, a race he won a year ago with Soul of an Angel.
“We’ve been taking an easier approach with her this year, trying to earn a lot of purses, and for now we’re probably going to continue to stick to that plan,” Joseph said.
Indy Bay rallied from just off the pace to a 1 3/4-length triumph in the Oaks, her fourth win in her last five starts. She earned a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure in the process.
“She got a good trip and ran a great race,” said Joseph, who added that the Cotillion at Parx Racing is on the table for Indy Bay’s next start.
Joseph will be in action in a big way here Saturday with starters in all three stakes on the card, including Be Your Best in the Grade 2 Flower Bowl coming off her third-place finish just three weeks earlier in the Grade 2 Beverly D. at Colonial Downs. Be Your Best won the Grade 1 Gamely this spring at Santa Anita.
“We’re trying to get her to the Breeders’ Cup, and the Flower Bowl is a Win and You’re In race,” Joseph explained when asked about the relatively quick turnaround for Be Your Best on Saturday. “We always have the option of taking her to Kentucky Downs, but that’s kind of a unique kind of course, so if the weather is good and the course is not soft, we will keep her here this weekend.”
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