PEGASUS WORLD CUP INVITATIONAL

January 24, 2026

Saffie Joseph

Tyler Gaffalione

Daniel Alonso

Graham Motion

Bob Feld

Gulfstream Park

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We've got Graham Motion and Bob Feld with Test Score, won the Pegasus Turf. We'll get to them in a quick second?

We've got Saffie Joseph Jr. and Tyler Gaffalione with Skippylongstocking. The owners might be celebrating, I think.

Saffie, we've had emotional press conferences up here before, but I've got to feel like this is the biggest one, Skippylongstocking. Fourth time the charm?

SAFFIE JOSEPH JR.: Yeah, it's crazy to say, but at 7 years old he was doing better. Edgar worked him a couple times. He came back and said it. Then Tyler came and worked him before the Harlan's Holiday. He said the same thing.

At the Harlan's Holiday, we didn't know how he would run because he's coming off of Charles Town, when he got thumped and he basically got east. After that race, everything went to plan, and we thought he would move forward.

To be honest with you, going into the race, I thought if we had to win the race, it was going to be Skippy. Abarrio, what he did today, it was remarkable. What a horse, White Abarrio, because he had no preparation to run how he did.

Q. To run 1, 2 in this race, got to be huge.

SAFFIE JOSEPH JR.: Yeah, as I said, so much pressure from Abarrio, it kind of takes away -- for me at least, I wanted him to run and come back well, and everything else was going to be great. To get that result, I mean the only better result was for him to take that heat basically.

I'm sure all connections are happy to see what White Abarrio did, and for Skippy to deliver today -- Tyler, I have to watch the replay because I watched him in the first turn and then I couldn't see him. The last time I saw him was at the top of the lane. To be honest with you, at that point, Abarrio had surprised me. I wanted Abarrio to win it at that point. I never had that feeling in my life because I can't believe how he ran.

Skippy, as I said, a couple years ago we lost White Abarrio because we had to give him up. Skippy is who made us. I watched White Abarrio win the Whitney, and then you see your best horse win it for somebody else. Three weeks later Skippy won the Charles Town Classic. As I said, Skippylongstocking has been with us for a while. Forever grateful to him.

Q. Tyler, you did not want White Abarrio to win. You've been with Skippy time and time again. Got back on him last time. Thoughts going in and thoughts about his performance?

TYLER GAFFALIONE: I was very impressed with his last race. Coming off the race in Charles Town, we weren't really sure what to expect. He really showed up for us big time that day. Saffie told me to ride him with a lot of confidence, came up with a different game plan, and kind of used the same game plan today. He's just really turned the corner.

He's finishing up his races really well. He's giving you a ton of confidence throughout. He's just doing everything right right now.

Q. Graham Motion, also ran 1, 2, this one in the Pegasus Turf, Graham, with Test Score taking on older horses in a stakes race for the first time. You couldn't be happier, I'm sure?

GRAHAM MOTION: Yeah, that was a big question mark. I didn't know how he was going to handle running against older horses for the first time. He answered all the questions. He's been remarkably consistent, this horse all year.

Q. You've asked a lot of him. Brought him to California, did the New York thing. Now he's here in Hallandale Beach. He's a very versatile and very classy horse.

GRAHAM MOTION: I always worried about shipping back here. We had to van them because there were no flights at that time. I always said to Mr. Amerman that, as long as he handled it, we would take a shot. This was a race we really wanted to take a shot in. I must say I felt really good about running him today.

Q. Bob Feld is with the Amermans and has been for quite some time. Bob, talk about this, winning the Grade 1 Pegasus Turf.

BOB FELD: The Amermans are truly one of the last great couples in horse racing. You don't see many younger couples moving up like the couples of the past. It's been an amazing run. We've been together 30 years.

Mrs. Amerman has that knack for breeding. She bred champion German Shepherds, some won the Westminster in New York. She just has a knack. Between her and Headley Bell, they thought outside the box and went to Lookin at Lucky, which is really thinking outside the box. They got rewarded today big time.

Q. Graham, you've often been thought of as one of the best turf trainers in the world. You won a lot of important races. To put this one on the resume, how does it feel?

GRAHAM MOTION: Any time you win a million dollar race, it's a great one. When you haven't won one in a while, you realize how tough they are to win. I'm not like Saffie, who wins them all the time.

Q. Saffie, this horse means a lot to you, right? From day one. What's the special bond with Skippylongstocking, who came into this race $3.7 million in earnings and a lot more than that?

SAFFIE JOSEPH JR.: Yeah, as I said, we bought him for $37,000 at OBS Sale. Who would ever think he would take you on this ride? He just got better and better as time went on.

Junior Alvarado actually was instrumental in turning him around because we thought he was a good horse, then he was showing speed and stopping. He rode him once and said send him two turns. Bill Mott taught him this. He said send him two turns and take him back.

We entered him that time in the Allowance. I looked like two minutes before post, Pletcher had two horses in there, and I said, why did I follow Junior? He won that day, and from then we kind of got off a plan. That's what Tyler was talking about a game plan.

After Charles Town, I said, you know what, we've got to go back to taking this horse back. No matter what, just take him back, take him back. That's why these two runs have come back. Look a 7-year-old, it's rare for these dirt horses to be as good. To have both of them run like they did today, forever blessed. They're going to be hard to replace. Right now they still look like they have a lot of run.

Q. Tyler, you felt him running at a pretty good clip today?

TYLER GAFFALIONE: Most definitely. He gave me a ton of confidence. Even going around the first turn, he was in such a great rhythm. As soon as we turned up the back side, he grabbed a hold of the bit and was just taking me around there, just waiting on my cues. When I did ask him, he responded right away.

Q. Did you follow -- you saw White Abarrio moving like he was a repeat winner?

TYLER GAFFALIONE: I actually had my eyes on Tappan Street most of the race. He was the one I wanted to follow. Going into the turn, I was able to pass him, so I kind of needed to come up with a new game plan. I saw White Abarrio making a good run. So just kind of set my sights on him.

Q. We'll bring in Daniel. What does this feel like, a Pegasus World Cup winner, 7 years old, fourth time in this race?

DANIEL ALONSO: It feels amazing. We've been knocking on Grade 1 here for a little bit. He's just such an amazing force. My dad, my mom, my wife, my family -- he's taken us on this amazing ride.

We've run in some of the best races in the world. From the Whitney to the Charles Town to Hollywood, he's taken us on an amazing ride. To win the Grade 1 here at home in front of our friends and family, it means everything. Right jockey, right trainer, right team.

Q. Graham, I want to bring you back in with Test Score. Is he still just getting started? He's a lightly raced, newly turned 4-year-old with a lot of upside.

GRAHAM MOTION: Today was a huge step with him. I think he's going to be a force to be reckoned with. He's really been so consistent all year as a 3-year-old. Today I think he proved he could well be one of the best turf horses in the country.

Q. Saffie, this is a question I have to ask. I guess plans going forward, what do you do now?

SAFFIE JOSEPH JR.: I would like to go to Tampa again (laughter).

Q. Win the Challenger for a fourth time?

SAFFIE JOSEPH JR.: Hopefully they'll give me that. We did talk about this year if he ran well in the Pegasus, we might go to Dubai. The owners are going to have to decide.

It's going to be hard this time because I'd like to keep that four in a row in Tampa, but Dubai is going to come into play a lot. We'll talk it over.

Q. Dubai?

DANIEL ALONSO: We're going to Keeneland. I don't know where we're going to go, but we're going to Keeneland.

Q. Graham, you're a guy that's been to Dubai before. Do you have thoughts about the future for Test Score?

GRAHAM MOTION: I'm not in a hurry to run him back. He's had a long year. We took a shot running him today, but I'll freshen him up a little bit here.

Q. I don't want to overlook One Strike. Huge second off the race here. You have to be tickled with his performance still?

GRAHAM MOTION: Yeah, I think he showed he's going to be a top horse too this year. I think his two starts -- his first start over here was my fault, just a dumb race to pick out for him. The Breeders Cup was a bit of a down, and he got back on track here at Gulfstream.

Look, it's tough. These guys have been huge supporters. 12 of them come over from South Africa with this horse. They're great sports. Really, really cool to have this horse.