35th Harlan's Holiday Offers Spot In Pegasus World Cup Invitational

On Saturday, December 20th Skippylongstocking is set to make his 35th career start in the $150,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream Park in search of his 10th graded-stakes victory and 17th graded-stakes placing while hopefully earning a berth in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 24.

"He's just a horse that's gotten better with age," trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. "He's very durable, especially in today's day and age being a dirt horse. It's kind of easier on turf horses where you don't have to train them as hard. A dirt horse that's run up to 6 years-old into his 7-year-old career, hopefully, it's just a testament to him - his demeanor and soundness. We're grateful for all he's done for us, and we feel he still has more to give."

2025 Harlan's Holiday Stakes Field & Odds

Race 10 at Gulfstream Park

Saturday, December 20 - Post 4:48 PM

Entry	Horse	Jockey	Trainer
1	Hold My Bourbon	Irad Ortiz, Jr. 121 Lbs	Saffie Joseph, Jr.
2	Skippylongstocking	Tyler Gaffalione 126 Lbs	Saffie Joseph, Jr.
3	Catalytic	Javier Castellano 121 Lbs	Antonio Sano
4	Classic of Course	Junior Alvarado 118 Lbs	Patrick Biancone
5	Poster	Flavien Prat 118 Lbs	Eoin Harty
6	Racing Driver	Edgard Zayas 118 Lbs	Gustavo Delgado
7	Con Compania (CHI)	Miguel Vasquez 121 Lbs	Bobby Dibona

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The over-achieving son of Exaggerator, who captured the 2022 Harlan's Holiday late in his 3-year-old season, enters Saturday's edition of the 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up, off a pair of disappointing efforts while finishing seventh in the Aug. 2 Whitney (G1) at Saratoga and eighth in the Aug. 22 Charles Town Classic (G2).

"His last two races haven't been up to par. His Whitney wasn't too bad. It was his first start back. We had missed some time. He made a big run and got tired. That was kind of an OK race," Joseph said. "His Charles Town race was very disappointing. He got the thumps (a spasmic contraction of the diaphragm similar to hiccups in humans) in that race. It's something he's done from time to time."

Skippylongstocking breezed exceptionally well in his last two workouts at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

"He's doing really, really well. He's training really well. We gave him a break. All the data that you could get back is positive," Joseph said. "He's 6 turning 7, but we feel like he's just as good now as when he's in peak form. Hopefully, that shows on Saturday."

Skippylongstocking has had a history of following up subpar performances with strong efforts.

"He's been in this position before where he hasn't run well and we've been able to get him back to form," Joseph said. "We're quietly confident that the real Skippy is going to show up."

Tyler Gaffalione, who rode Skippylongstocking to victory in the Challenger (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs one race after guiding him to his third-place finish in last year's Pegasus World Cup Invitational has the Harlan's Holiday mount. Under the conditions of the race, the multiple Grade 2 winner, who is rated third at 3-1 on the morning-line, will carry 126 pounds, between five and eight pounds more than his six rivals.

Joseph is also represented in the Harlan's Holiday field by Gray V Train Racing LLC's Hold My Bourbon. The 4-year-old Anchor Down ridgling won an allowance at Saratoga in August before finishing off-the-board in the Forego (G1). He finished fifth in the Parx Sprint and a Keeneland allowance in his two most recent starts.

Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Hold My Bourbon (6-1) for the first time in the Harlan's Holiday, which will be featured on Saturday's program with five stakes, including the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G3), a 1 1/8-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up.

Flavien Prat, the leading graded-stakes jockey in the U.S. this year, will venture to Gulfstream to ride Godolphin's Poster in the Harlan's Holiday. The Godolphin homebred returned from a five-month layoff to win a mile optional claiming allowance on turf at Churchill Downs Nov. 5.

"He's doing great. I wouldn't have brought him down there if I didn't have the utmost confidence that he's in great shape and ready to run a big race," trainer Eoin Harty said.

Poster, who is favored at 2-1 on the morning line, won the first two races of his career on turf at Ellis Park and Keeneland last year before making his stakes debut a winning one in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen (G2) on Aqueduct's main track the only time Prat has ridden the 3-year-old son of Munnings.

Poster went on to finish third in the Feb. 8 Sam Davis at Tampa and fourth in the March 22 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway before going to the sidelines until his winning return at Churchill Downs.

Con Compania will make his first start for trainer Bobby Dibona and owners TCC Stables LLC, Michael Iavarone and Jules Iavarone in the Harlan's Holiday. The 5-year-old Chilean-bred gelding, who is rated second at 5-1 on the morning line, is coming off a front-running victory in the mile Mr. Jordan Handicap at Gulfstream.

Miguel Vasquez will ride the son of Awesome Patriot for the first time Saturday.

Amy Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone's Classic of Course, who finished third behind Con Compania in the Oct. 18 Mr. Jordan before capturing the mile Awesome Banner Handicap at Gulfstream three weeks later, enters the Harlan's Holiday off an even fourth-place finish in the Sabal Palm Handicap at a mile and 70 yards on Tapeta.

Junior Alvarado, who guided the Biancone-trained Layabout to victory in the Tropical Park Derby last Saturday, is named to ride Classic of Course for the first time in the Harlan's Holiday.

JR Ranch, Marquee Bloodstock, High Step Racing and OGMA Investments LLC's Racing Driver, a mile optional claiming allowance winner in his return to Gulfstream last time out, and Tami Bobo's Catalytic, who has never finished worse than second in nine starts at Gulfstream, round out the field.

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