Skippylongstocking, White Abarrio Bounce Back, Turf Stars Shine After Pegasus World Cup
Following a thrilling weekend of racing at Gulfstream Park, trainers reported that both Skippylongstocking and White Abarrio, competitors in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), emerged from the race in good condition on January 25th. The pair, along with the victorious contenders from the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, are now being evaluated for their next potential starts.
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. expressed admiration for the resilience of his horses, noting the hard-fought performances of both 7-year-old runners. “(Skippylongstocking) ran fast enough at times to win one, but he never did it. People were always knocking, knocking him, saying he’s not a grade 1, not a grade 1, and look, he showed up,” Joseph stated. “He did it in a race that a lot of great horses have won.”
Four-time grade 1 winner White Abarrio entered the Pegasus World Cup as the favorite, but faced challenges stemming from a controversial scratching prior to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in November. According to Joseph, the uncertainty surrounding Abarrio’s preparation created significant pressure. “Obviously, there was a lot of pressure running Abarrio after being scratched from the Breeders’ Cup. You’re overthinking everything—that’s not the way you want to train a horse. You have to train with confidence, but we couldn’t be confident because of the lack of preparation,” he explained. “I didn’t know how he would run. Going into the race, there was no confidence. To do what he did (Saturday) was special.”
Joseph indicated that plans for both Skippylongstocking and White Abarrio remain fluid, with potential targets including the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) on April 18th and the Dubai World Cup (G1) on March 28th.
Turf Stars Test Score and One Stripe Recover Well
In the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1T), Graham Motion-trained stablemates Test Score and One Stripe also appeared to be in good order following their impressive one-two finish, separated by a mere neck.
“Everybody looks really good,” Motion said. “One Stripe’s a little irritated about being beaten, I think, but they both seem really good.”
Amerman Racing’s Test Score secured his second career grade 1 victory, pushing his earnings past $2 million. Motion recounted his surprise during the race. “I’ve rewatched it a lot,” he said. “It was hard to watch at the time. I kind of focused on One Stripe at the top of the stretch and I didn’t realize that the horse he was going to nail if he got there was Test Score. It was a little bit surreal.”
One Stripe, a two-time group 1 winner in South Africa, delivered a strong late surge despite encountering some challenges during the race. Motion noted that jockey Gavin Lerena felt the horse became momentarily unsettled around the three-eighths pole. “Around the three-eighths pole Gavin said (One Stripe) got a little tight and got a little intimidated there and it took him a little while to get going,” Motion explained. “But what a brave race he ran.”
Looking ahead, Motion is considering the $1 million Turf Classic (G1T) on May 2nd, the Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard, for Test Score, while the Arlington Million (G1T) in August at Colonial Downs is a potential target for One Stripe. . Motion emphasized a cautious approach to scheduling future races for both horses, acknowledging their recent efforts. “I really think a mile-and-a-quarter is going to be in his scope,” he said of One Stripe. “I’m not going to be in a hurry to run them back.”
Motion expressed gratitude for the support received, particularly from the South African connections of One Stripe. “I’ve had an extraordinary amount of people reach out,” he said. “I’m so pleased for the South African crew. They had faith in this horse and it kind of showed to be justified that he’s this kind of horse. And I couldn’t be prouder of Test Score.”
