Skippylongstocking, Wolfie's Dynaghost set for Pegasus stakes

Skippylongstocking and Wolfie's Dynaghost remain on target for their Pegasus day stakes assignments after exiting Saturday victories at Gulfstream Park in good order.

Skippylongstocking, owned by Daniel Alonso, returned to winning form in the Harlan's Holiday (G3), a 1 1/16-mile prep for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1). The 6-year-old multiple graded-stakes winner captured the 2022 Harlan's Holiday late in his 3-year-old season and entered Saturday's renewal off a pair of disappointing efforts – a seventh-place finish in the Aug. 2 Whitney (G1) at Saratoga and an eighth-place finish in the Aug. 22 Charles Town Classic (G2), in which he experienced the thumps, a spasmic contraction of the diaphragm similar to hiccups in humans.

"We didn't know if he was fit enough to be back to his best. He showed he was training well. Saturday he had to come and do it. Thank God, he did it," trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Sunday after reporting the son of Exaggerator came out of his game performance in good order. "Now we're back on track. He should move forward off of that."

Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, Skippylongstocking hooked up for a stretch-long battle with 3-2 favored Poster before edging his 3-year-old rival by a head. The victory marked his 10th career graded-stakes triumph and boosted the $3.7 million earner's bid for an unprecedented fourth straight Pegasus World Cup appearance. His best finish in the race came last season when he ran third behind Joseph stablemate White Abarrio.

"I think he's training the same as ever. I don't think he could have been at his optimum fitness going into the race. He was coming off the layoff," Joseph said. "There's no reason to say that was his best. He should move forward in his next race if everything goes well."

Wolfie's Dynaghost, owned by Woodslane Farm, set a North American record in Saturday's Fort Lauderdale (G3), covering 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:43.42 to defeat Cugino by three-quarters of a length. The 7-year-old Ghostzapper gelding eclipsed the Gulfstream track record of 1:44.45 set by Warm Heart in the 2018 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and broke the North American mark of 1:43.92 set by Kostroma at Santa Anita on Oct. 20, 1991.

"He looks great this morning," trainer Brian Lynch said Sunday. "Everything appears to be how we like it."

The $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on Jan. 24 awaits the 10-time stakes winner.

"I think he stamped his ticket for that Saturday, for sure," Lynch said. "For a horse to go off in 22-and-change and to be able to finish like he did is a credit to him. He's a lovely, class horse."

Wolfie's Dynaghost, ridden by Irad Ortiz, boosted his career earnings to $1.35 million in his second start for Lynch. He arrived off a 2 3/4-length triumph in the Nov. 8 River City (G3) at Churchill Downs.

"He came over in really good order. There were no changes made. We tried to keep him happy and slide him into our program. He's adjusted well, not that there was a lot of adjustment," Lynch said. "He's a classy horse who still has a lot of run on his mind."