After a career of always showing up for a piece of the pie, it's finally Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) who's the talk of the town, and the statesman strolled home to the roar of an appreciative Oaklawn crowd to confidently win the GIII Essex Handicap.The seven-year-old entire has been exclusively in graded stakes company since early April 2022, when he ran third in the GII Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. He never left the ranks after that, and placed at the highest levels every year since–hitting the board in the 2022 GI Belmont Stakes; 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile; 2024 GI Stephen Foster; and the 2025 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes in his third try at the race.As it turned out, 2026 was his year in the Florida sun when Skippylongstocking made it fourth time lucky Jan. 24 by running down stablemate MGISW White Abarrio (Race Day), the defending champion, to at last take home his Grade I prize in the Pegasus World Cup. While a career highlight, it was also his second victory in a row after he claimed the GIII Harlan's Holiday Stakes by a head in December to wrap his '25 campaign.The even-money favorite here, and with a loving crowd in his corner, Skippylongstocking broke with the field and watched the race unfold from just off the leader Accelerize (Omaha Beach). Steadily applying pressure as that one rolled through :23.39 and a half-mile in :46.67, he overtook that rival unasked on the far turn and was cruising with a clear lead turning for home after six panels in 1:10.33. Opening up as the Oaklawn faithful cheered him on, Skippylongstocking sailed home much the best, despite drifting out in the final furlong, to win by 5 1/4 lengths under new rider Micah Husbands. Mackman (Union Rags) won the photo for second by a neck over San Siro (Classic Empire). The final time was a meet-best 1:48.82.“Obviously before the race, you're the favorite,” said trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.. “There's a lot of pressure and you're thinking all different variables, but it worked out great. He was very impressive once again.” #5 SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING ($4.20) wins again!! The seven-year-old son of Exaggerator captured the $500,000 Essex Handicap (G3) at @OaklawnRacing with ease. Micah Husbands was up for trainer @SaffieJosephJr. pic.twitter.com/YgshWbOS4F— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) March 21, 2026“If two horses went, we were going to sit. Obviously, the other horse [Doc Sullivan] didn't break that well, so then he was kind of positioned that they were going to stack him wide, and I thought Micah [Husbands] made a very smart move there to go forward. Obviously, the pace is quick at that point. You're a little concerned. But he was chasing the horse [Accelerize] that was supposed to be the horse to beat after him. He put that horse away quite easily and did it well.”Husbands similarly praised the victor, saying, “[Skippylongstocking] broke sharp. I didn't take anything away from him. He just showed his class. That's it. There's nothing much I can say. He's just a good horse.”Pedigree Notes:Skippylongstocking is a half-brother to two other stakes winners, namely Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map) and Olivia Twist (Mshawish). Their dam, Twinkling (War Chant), is herself a half-sibling to SP Show the Way J (Forest Camp) and SP Miss Maggie Girl (Malibu Moon). She has a juvenile filly by Not This Time as the most recent of racing age as well as a placed 3-year-old named Nahla (Authentic). She was barren in 2025 after visiting Curlin and went back to the perennial leading sire for this spring as well.This female family has yielded success in the Southern Hemisphere with G2 Ladbrokes Sandown Guineas hero Allibor (Aus) (All Too Hard {Aus}) hailing from a daughter of the third dam, Laughing Erin (Irish Castle). This is the distant family of G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes victress Collect the Cash.Saturday, Oaklawn ParkESSEX H.-GIII, $500,000, Oaklawn, 3-21, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:48.82, ft.1–SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING, 124, h, 7, by Exaggerator 1st Dam: Twinkling, by War Chant 2nd Dam: Unhurried, by Out of Place 3rd Dam: Laughing Erin, by Irish Castle($15,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $37,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Daniel Alonso; B-Brushy Hill, LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Micah J. Husbands. $285,000. Lifetime Record: GISW, 37-14-3-7, $5,746,250. *1/2 to Olivia Twist (Mshawish), SW & GSP, $321,579; 1/2 to Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map), SW & GSP, $175,205. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.2–Mackman, 117, h, 6, Union Rags–Silverpocketsfull, by Indian Charlie. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($135,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $160,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-T. C. Stable LLC (Shipley) and Hickory Stables; B-Sierra Farm (KY); T-Matt A. Shirer. $95,000.3–San Siro, 117, g, 5, Classic Empire–Catenaria, by Bernardini.($80,000 Ylg '22 KEEJAN; $150,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Andrew Farm, Mountmellick Farm, Ocean Reef Racing, White Mountain Stables and Stonecrest Farm; B-Frankfort Park Farm, Bemart, Equinow, Valle Falcone & K. Byrne (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $47,500.Margins: 5 1/4, NK, HF. Odds: 1.10, 19.80, 11.80.Also Ran: Gould's Gold, Duke of Duval, Accelerize, Doc Sullivan. Scratched: Runaway Again.Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. 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