HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – After 35 starts, 12 wins – 10 in graded stakes – and nearly $3.8 million in purse earnings, Daniel Alonso’s 7-year-old Skippylongstocking has little left to accomplish.
There is one thing, though.
“We’d love to get him a Grade 1,” Alonso said. “He’s taken us so many places where we never thought we’d ever go and made us so proud. But that would be great.”
Skippylongstocking will get another chance in a familiar spot – the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Saturday at Gulfstream Park. When the gates open, he will be the first horse in its 10-year history to run for a fourth time breaking the mark he currently shares with Seeking the Soul (2018-20) and War Story (2017-18, 2020).
“He shows up every time,” Alonso said. “We thank God he’s never been injured. He’s been a picture of consistency and health, and we couldn’t ask for more.”
After running seventh to Life is Good in the 2023 Pegasus, Skippylongstocking was used hard early to press the pace from his outermost post in 2024, was pulled up on the far turn and walked off, tired but unhurt. He bounced back five weeks later to register the second of three straight victories in the Challenger (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs.
“Those two eggs that he laid, we have no idea why,” Alonso said. “He came back good, ate up good, and he wasn’t hurting so we tried again.”
Skippylongstocking ran third, just a neck behind two-time Grade 1 winner Locked, in last year’s Pegasus as White Abarrio set a stakes record winning by 6 ¼ lengths. White Abarrio also returns this year, but the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained stablemates will be separated by six stalls in the starting gate. Skippylongstocking – who has broken from Post 9, 12 and 7 in his previous three attempts, drew Post 5 while White Abarrio was assigned Post 11 of 12.
“Skippy is a hard-trying horse,” Joseph said. “The draw didn’t treat White Abarrio good but I think he can overcome it. Skippy drew better. The last couple years he’s drawn bad. He’s doing well and he goes over there with a very good chance.”
During the post position draw, Skippylongstocking was the first name announced and his supporters, including Alonso’s father, Amancio, let out an audible cheer when the post was revealed.
“The last few years we’ve been all the way outside, so we’re pretty excited about five,” Alonso said. “He’s had a lot of ground to make up all those years.”
Skippylongstocking sold for just $15,000 as a yearling in 2020, didn’t fetch his reserve at a 2-year-old in training sale seven months later and was purchased by Alonso for a mere $37,000. He has gone on to win four Grade 2 races and six Grade 3 races, including Gulfstream’s Pegasus prep, the Harlan’s Holiday, in 2022 and 2025, and place in four Grade 1 stakes.
“We were just hoping to have fun. It’s just been an amazing ride,” Alonso said. “My father’s been owning horses since the seventies, at Gulfstream and Calder. He never won a graded race until this guy. It’s been a family thing with him, my mom, everybody.”
As a 3-year-old Skippylongstocking took the connections on the Triple Crown trail, running third in the Wood Memorial (G2), fifth in the Preakness (G1) and third again in the Belmont (G1). He has raced at 15 racetracks in nine states and has seen nothing but graded competition for 27 consecutive starts.
“He’s an amazing horse. We’ve had a great time, all the friends and family, going to all these events, these big races. We get to travel and get together and enjoy this incredible horse,” Alonso said. “We know it’s getting to the end, so we’re going to enjoy it.”
There has been no talk of retirement yet for Skippylongstocking though 51-year-old Alonso, who took over his father’s Miami-based real estate and fuel distribution businesses, knows the time is getting closer.
“We’re going to let him decide. We gave him a break and he came back and ran great in the Harlan’s Holiday. We’ll go race by race. We’ll see how he runs in this race and then go from there,” he said. “He’s sound, he’s healthy, he’s happy, so we’ll give him a few more races and see where we go.”