Horse RacingLocal NewsSports Saffie victorious in Tampa Bay by Barbados Today 12/03/2024 written by Barbados Today 12/03/2024 2 min read A+A- Reset Saffie Joseph Jr. (FP) Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 942 Barbadian trainer Saffie Joseph found himself in winners’ row at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday when 3-5 favourite Skippylongstocking dismissed his challengers to win the US$100 000 Grade 3 Michelob Ultra Challenger for the second straight year. Going a mile and sixteenth for the four-year-olds and upward, Skippylongstocking stalked the pace from second under jockey Tyler Gaffalione before taking charge at the top of the stretch and dominating the lane to reach the wire 2-½ lengths clear in a time of one minute, 32.12 seconds. The victory was the first in three starts since winning the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic last August, and was a welcome return to form following the five-year-old bay’s flop in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park in January. “It was great to get him back in the winner’s circle, especially coming back from his last race. We had to go over him really good to make sure everything was proper and to be extra cautious. We covered every base,” Joseph said. “It was great today to see him come back and run a good race. There was a lot of pressure. This was an important race for him and an important race for us.” Seventeen-to-one outsider Impacto outsprinted Skippylongstocking to the lead, posting fractions of 23.80 seconds for the quarter and 46.94 for the half. You Might Be Interested In Gandalf aiming for Breeders Classic crown Jockeys’ rivalry on show Saturday Champion horse dies Skippylongstocking chased from second on the outside while 38-1 longshot Mbagnick settled in third and 8-1 bet Dash Attack and 3-1 choice Sherlock’s Jewel battled for position. Gaffalione made his move on the final turn, darting Skippylongstocking to the front to lead the field off the final turn, and control the race in the final metres. The win moved Skippylongstocking’s record to 7-2-4 from 22 starts, and career earnings of US$1.6 million. (CMC) Barbados Today Stay informed and engaged with our digital news platform. The leading online multimedia news resource in Barbados for news you can trust. You may also like Wanted: Troy Barry O’neal Wiltshire 12/02/2025 School violence is escalating —The Ministry of Education must act now 12/02/2025 Culture vs. Crime: A Groundbreaking Initiative Unites the Arts and Crime Prevention 12/02/2025