Be Your Best and Skippylongstocking give Ortiz and Joseph a stakes double at Santa Anita

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In this image provided by Benoit Photo, Be Your Best, with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, wins the Grade I $300,000 Gamely Stakes horse race Monday, May 26, 2025, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. (Benoit Photo via AP)

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In this image provided by Benoit Photo, Be Your Best, center front, with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, wins the Grade I $300,000 Gamely Stakes horse race Monday, May 26, 2025, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. (Benoit Photo via AP)

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In this image provided by Benoit Photo, Skippylongstocking, with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard, wins the Grade II $200,000 Hollywood Gold Cup horse race Monday, May 26, 2025, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. (Benoit Photo via AP)

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In a photo provided by Benoit Photo,Daniel Alonso’s Skippylongstocking and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., right, hold off Midnight Mammoth (Armando Ayuso up), inside, to win the Grade II $200,000 Hollywood Gold Cup Monday, May 26, 2025 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, Calif. (Benoit Photo via AP)

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In a photo provided by Benoit Photo, King of Gosford and jockey Flavien Prat, outside, overpower Mi Hermano Ramon (Hector Berrios), middle, and Cabo Spirit (Lanfranco Dettori), inside, to win the Grade I, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile, Monday, May 26, 2025 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia Calif. (Benoit Photo via AP)

By BETH HARRIS

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Be Your Best led all the way to earn her first Grade 1 victory in the $300,000 Gamely Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths Monday at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Be Your Best ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:46.26, the fastest time in the race for fillies and mares since 2017, when Lady Eli won in 1:45.29.

The 5-year-old Ireland-bred mare and Ortiz traveled from the East Coast to compete. It was Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.’s first career win at Santa Anita.

About 30 minutes later, Ortiz rode odds-on favorite Skippylongstocking to a three-quarters of a length victory in the $200,000 Hollywood Gold Cup for Joseph.

“It was amazing to get that Grade 1, then you don’t want to go home with Skippy getting beat,” Joseph told track officials by phone. “So for him to go out there and win a historic race like the Hollywood Gold Cup was truly special.”

In the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile, Britain-bred King of Gosford and jockey Flavien Prat won.

King of Gosford ran the distance on turf in 1:33.52 and paid $10.80, $4.80 and $3.60. Mi Hermano Ramon was second and Cabo Spirit was third.

In the Gold Cup, Skippylongstocking ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.64 and paid $3.60, $2.60 and $2.10. He increased his career earnings to over $3.6 million with 11 wins in 32 starts.

Midnight Mammoth returned $7.20 and $3.60 and Extensive paid $2.40 to show.

It was Skippylongstocking’s eighth graded stakes victory at six different tracks.

“He’s just a hard-knocking horse who takes his track with him everywhere he goes,” Joseph said. “He’s a sound horse and he’s very strong mentally. We’ll be forever grateful for him.”

In the Gamely, Be Your Best paid $6.20, $3.80 and $3.00. Lady Claypoole returned $8.20 and $4.60 and Liguria returned $5 to show.

“She is a very good filly and she showed it,” Joseph said. “This is really big for us.”

Be Your Best has six wins in 20 career starts and earnings of over $1 million.

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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing