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2d ago

Be Your Best, Skippylongstocking and King of Gosford Claim Major Stakes at Santa Anita

Firm turf produced Saffie Joseph Jr.’s first Grade I victory at Santa Anita under Irad Ortiz Jr.’s guidance

King of Gosford and jockey Flavien Prat race to victory in the $300,000 Grade I Shoemaker Mile on Monday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. (Benoit Photo)
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Overview

  • Be Your Best led wire-to-wire to capture the $300,000 Gamely Stakes by 2¾ lengths in 1:46.26 under Irad Ortiz Jr.
  • Irad Ortiz Jr. piloted odds-on favorite Skippylongstocking to a three-quarters length win in the $200,000 Hollywood Gold Cup, lifting the horse’s earnings past $3.6 million.
  • Flavien Prat guided Britain-bred King of Gosford to a neck victory in the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile, marking the gelding’s first Grade I triumph and his fifth win in seven Santa Anita turf starts.
  • The three stakes victories on May 26 marked trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s inaugural Grade I successes at Santa Anita and underscored his expertise with turf runners shipped from the East Coast.
  • Be Your Best’s dominant performance on firm going highlighted her improvement over a softer Keeneland turf, emphasizing the pivotal role of surface conditions in her Grade I breakthrough.