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2025 Hollywood Gold Cup Day

Irad Ortiz Jr. celebrates aboard Skippylongstocking after winning the 2025 Hollywood Gold Cup

The feature race on Memorial Day at Santa Anita is the $200,000 Hollywood Gold Cup (G2) a 1 1/4 mile trip over the main track for the top older horses on the west coast. Conditions were typical for Southern California in late May for the 13,633 fans in attendance, with sunny skies, temperatures in the mid 70's, with the main track fast and the turf course firm. Skippylongstocking was sent off as the 4-5 favorite in the field of 7 off a third place finish in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) after winning the Challenger (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs. In to challenge him included 9-5 second choice Extensive, making his stakes debut off 2 straight allowance wins, and 10-1 third choice Packs a Wahlop off a close second in the Charles Whittingham (G2).

Down the stretch in the Hollywood Gold Cup

Jockey Reylu Gutierrez sent Packs a Wahlop to the lead first time by through fractions of 22.55, 46.33, and 1:10.87 while pressed by 12-1 fourth choice Midnight Mammoth and stalked by Skippylongstocking. Turning for home Packs a Wahlop tired allowing Midnight Mammoth to inherit the lead through 1 mile in 1:35.51. Into the lane jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. moved Skippylongstocking out 4 wide for room, taking over at the 1/8 pole and holding off Midnight Mammoth the rest of the way to win by 3/4 length in 2:01.64. It was a long 6 lengths back to late-running Extensive third.

Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 5 Skippylongstocking Ortiz Jr. 3.60 2.60 2.10 3 Midnight Mammoth Ayuso 7.20 3.60 4 Extensive Prat 2.80 Winning Time: 2:01.64 $1 Exacta 5-3 12.30 $1 Trifecta 5-3-4 34.50 $1 Superfecta 5-3-4-1 96.30 Results Chart from DRF.

Left: Skippylongstocking in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said, "It was amazing to get that Grade 1, then you don't want to go home with 'Skippy' getting beat. So for him to go out there and win a historic race like the Hollywood Gold Cup was truly special. Our plan was to let a couple of horses go to the front and to sit off them. It worked out perfectly. The horse was very game. "He's just a hard knocking horse who takes his track with him everywhere he goes. He's a sound horse and he's very strong mentally. We'll be forever grateful with him."

Right: Skippylongstocking heads back to the barn after the race. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "He relaxed for me beautifully. We were planning to stay back and not be on the lead, I was happy where he was and he went on from there, the horse on the inside (Midnight Mammoth) was fighting back and my horse was fighting back as well."

Left: Second place finisher Midnight Mammoth heads back to the barn after the race. Trainer Craig Dollase said, "This horse has overcome a lot and this was like a win for us."

Right: Third place finisher Extensive in the post parade. The Mike McCarthy trainee improved his record to 2 wins, 1 second, and 2 thirds in 5 starts, earning $119,880 for owner Cheyenne Stable.

Be Your Best winning the Gamely Stakes

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sent Be Your Best to the lead first time by and she set fractions of 22.99, 46.15, and 1:09.75 while pressed by No Show Sammy Jo and stalked by Public Assembly. Turning for home Be Your Best opened up a 4 1/2 length lead through 1 mile in 1:33.58. Kept to task by Ortiz, Be Your Best held off late-running 8-1 Lady Claypoole to win by 2 3/4 lengths in 1:46.26. It was another 1/2 length back to 19-2 Liguria third, while favorite No Show Sammy Jo tired late to finish 6th beaten 9 3/4 lengths.

Results Chart from DRF.

Left: Be Your Best in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said, "We knew she needed firm going on the turf and that is why we brought her out here. Her last race (at Keeneland), we got a lot of rain and she didn't like it. She is a very good filly and she showed it today. This is really big for us. We will see what the future brings for her."

Right: Be Your Best returns after the race. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "To be honest, when we had both scratches, they were both speed. So I talked to the trainer and he told me, 'Ride your race, let her be heard.' Last time the ground was too soft. I thought she would like this ground more today, it's more like Gulfstream's firm turf. I let her relax and let her be happy. When I turned for home, I still had something in the tank. "I think she has been improving the last couple of times this year. She has been getting mentally better, relaxes, and gives me a good run in the end. I am happy with her."

Left: Second place finisher Lady Claypoole walks over before the race. Trainer Richard Baltas said, "She ran her race. She got a Grade 1 second. I'm pretty happy with her, her effort, and the ride. There was no speed in the race."

Right: Third place finisher Liguria returns after the race. The Mike McCarthy trainee improved her record to 4 wins, 1 second, and 2 thirds in 11 starts, earning $410,200 for owner Alpha Delta Stables.

Sixth place finisher and beaten favorite No Show Sammy Jo in the paddock. The Graham Motion trainee has a record of 4 wins, 1 second, and 0 thirds in 8 starts, earning $284,650 for owners Bridlewood Farm and Madaket Stables.

King of Gosford (outside) winning the Shoemaker Mile Stakes

Jockey Mike Smith sent 19-2 Goliad to the lead first time by through fractions of 22.92, 45.68, and 1:09.47 while pressed by 30-1 Cabo Spirit and stalked by Mi Hermano Ramon. Into the stretch Goliad tired allowing Cabo Spirit to inherit the lead through 7f in 1:21.49, but 4-1 fourth choice King of Gosford, 6th early under Flavien Prat, came out 2 wide for room and rallied to win by a neck in 1:33.52. It was just a nose back to Cabo Spirit third, and another length back to late-running favorite Formidable Man fourth.

Results Chart from DRF. 0

Left: King of Gosford in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Phil D'Amato said, "I was expecting his best performance and I was hoping it was going to be a win. I think Flavien learned a little something in defeat last time about making his move. But he knew and I knew that going into that last race it was a tune up for this race and it worked out well. "He is a handful (in the morning). I have to give a lot of credit to the exercise riders, Roberto and Tony Gutierrez his breeze rider. He makes them work hard. He doesn't do anything easy he likes to play around when he works out, but they've got his number, and he does just as much as he needs to do to be ready to win races like this."

Right: King of Gosford returns after the race. Winning jockey Flavien Prat said, "I thought they were going fast enough in the first quarter. Once the field started to spread out, we started to pick it up on the back side. I was just hoping they would come back to me. I thought about going inside, but knew he would have a good turn of foot, so we went around them and he got there. This horse is a really good horse and he has a special place with me because we won my 56th graded stakes (of 2024) with him."

Left: Second place finisher Mi Hermano Ramon Again in the walking ring. Jockey Hector Berrios said, "He had no excuse. He was very comfortable. In the stretch, he was the same pace."

Right: Third place finisher Cabo Spirit in the paddock before the race. Jockey Frankie Dettori said, "He ran his heart out. It was his best race. He fought to the line. He's getting better with age, just like me."

Fourth place finisher and beaten favorite Formidable Man in the post parade. Jockey Umberto Rispoli said, "He didn't have the grip as he did last time. I knew they'd come back. I think if you run the race 10 times, 10 times you'll have a different winner."

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