Skippylongstocking Works At The Spa, No Decision Yet On Whitney

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Skippylongstocking Works At The Spa, No Decision Yet On Whitney originally appeared on Paulick Report.
Daniel Alonso's multimillionaire Skippylongstocking breezed a half-mile in 49.22 second on Saturday over the main track at Saratoga Race Course. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said he will wait until entry day [Sunday] to decide whether the 6-year-old Exaggerator bay will run in next Saturday's $1-million Whitney (G1), a nine-furlong test for older horses here.
The Whitney offers a 'Win and You're In' berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Del Mar.
Skippylongstocking worked in company with Walley World while completing his fifth timed move at the Spa since a three-quarter-length victory in the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup on May 26 at Santa Anita Park. That was his 11th career victory among his multiple graded stakes-winning and multiple Grade 1-placed 32 start career, which includes 2023-24 victories in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic, set to be contested August 22 at its namesake oval.
'He went a half in company with Walley World,' said Joseph. 'The Whitney is in the cards, but we don't need to decide until we have to, so tomorrow morning we will decide that. We didn't run in the Stephen Foster this year, so we ran last year in the Whitney, but we do want to try to win three Charles Town Classics with him. That is the main goal, and tomorrow we will decide if we enter the Whitney.'
Skippylongstocking was fifth in last year's Whitney before a dominant Charles Town Classic score. Joseph said taking that path again is undecided with the Whitney appearing to be especially tough, including 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and Whitney-winning stablemate White Abarrio.
'The cons are the competition,' Joseph said, with a laugh. 'That is a tough race. That is the con. The pros are if he were to win it. We want to run in the Whitney, I know we did it last year, but if he runs in the Whitney and has a hard race and you mess up the Charles Town Classic, that is the drawback.'
Joseph said White Abarrio's presence will have no bearing on the Skippylongstocking decision. The multimillionaire 6-year-old Race Day gray is owned by C Two Racing Stable, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable.
'They've run against each other all the time. The fact is White Abarrio is a better horse than him on paper, he's beat him [most of] the times they've matched up, and you've got more than him [targeting the Whitney], there's Fierceness and Sierra Leone,' Joseph said. 'The main thing is the competition.'
White Abarrio was fourth last out in the one-mile Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 7 at Saratoga.
'He got bumped a couple times into the first turn, jostled for position, after that he was in a good enough spot, but it seems like at that distance, the positions don't really change. In the majority of the races who is first or second kind of goes around there,' said Joseph. 'He's coming into this well. He has one more work, he will go three-eighths the last work and hopefully he comes out well and has a good week.'
Michael Ryan's Grade 1 winner Be Your Best scratched from the Grade 1 Dunkin' Diana on July 12 at Saratoga due to heavy rain before the race and now targets the Grade 2 Beverly D. on August 9 at Colonial Downs. Joseph said the 5-year-old Muhaarar bay is also under consideration for the Grade 2, $300,000 Ballston Spa on August 8 here in search of finding a course with firm turf.
Be Your Best worked a half-mile in 49 3/5 seconds, according to NYRA clockers, over the main track on Saturday.
'She went well. She went a half from the three-eighths pole, 49 and three,' said Joseph. 'Plan A is the Colonial race, the Beverly D., but there is also the Ballston Spa the day before here. Wherever the weather is good. She needs firm turf. If Colonial has rain, she'll run here. If both are firm, she'll run at Colonial. We haven't discussed whether we will cross-enter, but those are the options, basically.'
Be Your Best was a last-out 2 3/4-length gate-to-wire winner of the nine-furlong Grade 1 Gamely in May at Santa Anita. She has won 4-of-6 efforts for Joseph, Jr. since transferring from trainer Horacio De Paz in October 2024, taking the 11-furlong Grade 3 Long Island at Aqueduct Racetrack, and Gulfstream Park's one-mile Grade 3 Suwannee River and 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.