By Alan Carasso
Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) gave trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. a sweep of Friday's graded events at Charles Town, leading every step of the way to successfully defend his title in the $1-million GII Charles Town Classic.
Sent off the 11-10 chalk to become the fourth two-time winner and third back-to-back winner of West Virginia's richest horse race, the likeable bay was kicked straight into the lead by Jose Ortiz and dictated terms in advance of Frosted Departure (Frosted)–who was not ridden forward as is his custom–through fractions of :24.15 and :47.88. Ortiz put his rivals to the sword with a bit less than a half-mile to go, asking for some acceleration, and the result was never in any doubt from there. Prairie Meadows raider Velocitor (Mor Spirit) and Komorebino Omoide (Jpn) (California Chrome) gave exotics players something to cheer about in second and third, respectively.
A good third in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Skippylongstocking was pulled up and out of the GI Pegasus World Cup in January before successfully defending his title in the GIII Challenger Stakes at Tampa in March. A two-length winner of the GII Oaklawn Handicap Apr. 20, he lasted for third in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes June 29 and was exiting a well-beaten fifth in the GI Whitney Stakes Aug. 3.
Pedigree Notes:
Brushy Hill Enterprises acquired dam Twinkling, a half-sister to a pair of stakes horses, for $42,000 in foal to Liam's Map at the 2018 OBS Winter Mixed Sale and has bred successfully from her. The foal the mare was carrying at the time became Moonlite Strike, a stakes winner and third in the 2021 GII Tampa Bay Derby and her produce of 2020, Olivia Twist, was a stakes winner at two and third to Wet Paint (Blame) in the 2023 GIII Fantasy Stakes.
Twinkling is also the dam of the 2-year-old filly Mia's Mom (Maclean's Music), a $275,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling who was unplaced on Saratoga debut Aug. 11, a yearling filly by Authentic and a filly foal by Not This Time. She was most recently covered by Exaggerator's sire Curlin.
Friday, Charles Town
CHARLES TOWN CLASSIC S.-GII, $1,000,000, Charles Town, 8-23, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:50.34, ft.
1–SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING, 121, h, 5, by Exaggerator
1st Dam: Twinkling, by War Chant
2nd Dam: Unhurried, by Out of Place
3rd Dam: Laughing Erin, by Irish Castle
($15,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $37,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Daniel Alonso; B-Brushy Hill LLC (KY); T-Saffie A Joseph Jr; J-Jose L Ortiz. $564,000. Lifetime Record: MGISP, 26-9-2-5, $2,992,985. *1/2 to Olivia Twist (Mshawish), SW & GSP, $217,329; and Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map), SW & GSP, $175,205. Werk Nick Rating: A++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Velocitor, 119, g, 4, Mor Spirit–Polar Plunge, by Successful Appeal. 1ST GRADED BLACK-TYPE. O/B-Al & Bill Ulwelling (ON); T-Gary M Scherer. $188,000.
3–Komorebino Omoide (Jpn), 119, c, 4, California Chrome–
Decennial, by Trippi. O/B-Perry Martin (JPN); T-Robertino Diodoro. $94,000.
Margins: 5 3/4, 1HF, NK. Odds: 1.10, 17.30, 20.40.
Also Ran: Coastal Mission, Warrior Johny, Bendoog, Frosted Departure, Double Crown, Piroli, Lord Miles.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING ($4.20) goes back-to-back in the $1 million Charles Town Classic (G2) at @RaceCharlesTown. He won easily under @jose93_ortiz. The 5-year-old by Exaggerator gave @SaffieJosephJr the Oaks/Classic double!
Two more races tonight: https://t.co/YzhOMXn8TM pic.twitter.com/pOtXyUKXF7
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) August 24, 2024
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