Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who won the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) Saturday with White Abarrio, is set to saddle a pair of longshots for the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) next Saturday at Aqueduct in Gentry Farms' A. P.'s Secret and Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking.
Manny Franco will have the call aboard A. P.'s Secret and Junior Alvarado will pilot Skippylongstocking in the 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier as Joseph looks to add to his Derby candidates list.
A. P.'s Secret has made all four career starts at Gulfstream Park, graduating at first asking in a seven-furlong maiden special weight in November and followed two starts later with a prominent score in a one-mile optional-claimer on January 9.
He enters from a troubled seventh in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 5 in which he pressed from third position before clipping heels at the quarter pole and dropping back.
Joseph, who saddled Math Wizard to a fourth-place finish in the 2019 Wood Memorial, said A. P.'s Secret exited the Fountain of Youth in good order.
“He came out of that race well and we couldn't really use that bumping as an excuse. He was losing his spot when it happened, but he did get bumped pretty hard,” Joseph said. “I think because he's such a big horse that he was able to take the bump from the inside horse that came out and hit him. He bounced out well and he's worked well since.”
Joseph said A. P.'s Secret, who worked a half-mile in :49.15 Sunday at Gulfstream, should appreciate the added distance.
“He always trained like this distance will be to his liking,” Joseph said. “He didn't run like that his first time going two turns, but I feel like distance is his forte. The longer the better for him.”
Bred in Kentucky by Tami D. Bobo, the gray son of Cupid was purchased for $150,000 at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
Skippylongstocking breezed furlongs in 1:00.40 Saturday at Palm Meadows Training Center. The more experienced of Joseph's contenders boasts a record of 8-2-1-1 with all but one of those starts coming at Gulfstream Park.
A two-time winner at the Hallandale Beach, Fla. oval, Skippylongstocking notched a 10 1/2-length maiden win traveling one mile in September and a last-out 3 3/4-length optional-claiming score on March 2 at the Wood Memorial distance. His lone out-of-town start was a fourth-place finish in the listed Street Sense Stakes in October at Churchill Downs immediately after his maiden score.
“He broke his maiden and that form line didn't come back that strong, so he was kind of disappointing in the Street Sense,” Joseph said. “We were kind of in two minds to cut him back in distance or run him longer.”
Joseph said Alvarado, aboard for his last two starts, suggested stretching out Skippylongstocking after guiding the Exaggerator colt to a fourth-place finish in a one-mile optional claimer on February 4.
“After the one-turn mile, Junior said, 'This horse wants to go two turns,' ” Joseph said. “In all his one-turn races, he was stopping. We ran him two turns and it was quite a competitive allowance race (last time out). He won it well and it was a pleasant surprise. Until he does it against better quality horses, we won't know for sure, but the way he won the other day you would think the two turns helped him big time – not rushing him and letting the race fall into his lap. We believed early on that he wanted to go longer, but it just so happened we were getting one-turn mile races.”
Out of the War Chant mare Twinkling, Skippylongstocking was a $37,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
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