Saffie Joseph Jr.

Though he won the 2022 GI Florida Derby with White Abarrio (Race Day), Saffie Joseph, Jr. isn't necessarily thought of as someone to fear on the roads to the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby. His bread and butter remains claimers and tough older horses like the now 5-year-old White Abbario and Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator), who won this year's GII Oaklawn Handicap and the GII Charles Town Classic Stakes. But that may be about to change. It's early yet and Todd Pletcher has yet to send his first string to...

eFive Racing Thoroughbred's Grayscale (c, 2, Frosted--Petunia, by Into Mischief) was pegged as the 8-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's seventh race at Gulfstream, but his worktab--which included a bullet half-mile in :44 4/5 last month and other morning trials that screamed ready--dictated that he'd jump a much-shorter price for his career debut. Crunched into 3-10 for the Breeders' Cup-winning connections of trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. and jockey Drayden Van Dyke, the gray colt made no mistake en route to being named the afternoon's second 'TDN Rising Star'. Away in mid-division...

White Abarrio (Race Day), winner of the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Classic, is scheduled to return to action next Friday at Gulfstream Park. The 5-year-old is entered in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance, in which he is scheduled to make his first start since returning to trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr.'s stable. White Abarrio was 10th in the G1 Saudi Cup Feb. 24 and fifth in the GI Metropolitan Handicap June 8 at Saratoga. He had previously won the 2023 GI Whitney Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Classic after being transferred...

Whomever gave Soul of an Angel (Atreides) a Red Bull before Saturday's GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, go cash your ticket. The 5-year-old mare sprouted wings down the Del Mar stretch to open Breeders' Cup action with a 19-1 upset win for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. and the ownership group of C2 Racing Stable, Agave Racing Stable and Ken Reimer. The most experienced runner in the field by far (her 40 starts are more than double anyone else), Soul of an Angel has been quietly knocking...

Sportsmen Stable, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Photos Finish, Corms Racing Stable and trainer Jorge Abreu's Grade I-winner Scottish Lassie (McKinzie) worked Sunday at Belmont Park in preparation for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 1 at Del Mar. The 2-year-old filly was among the first to breeze after the training track reopened at 7:30 a.m., and was guided through her exercise by jockey Jose Lezcano, who piloted her to victory last out to the graduate in the GI Frizette Stakes Oct. 5. Scottish Lassie worked outside of Jody's Pride (American Pharoah),...

Apprentice jockey Micah Husbands guided The Dove Rules (Bucchero) to victory in Friday's Race 8 feature at Gulfstream Park to earn his first career win in the U.S. A winner of 11 races in Canada, the 21-year-old native of Barbados is the nephew of eight-time Sovereign Award-winning jockey Patrick Husbands. "It's a thrill, a dream come true. I grew up watching races here, watching Joel Rosario, Mike Smith, Johnny Velazquez," said Husbands, who closed from well off the pace to prevail over favored American of Course aboard the Saffie Joseph...

Bellavinino (Get Stormy), who was a fast-closing second in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes in her most recent start, will be the first horse offered by Taylor Made Sales through Inglis Digital USA. Bidding is currently open for the online auction's September Sale and lots will close on Wednesday, Sept. 25 starting at 2 p.m. ET. Bellavinino will sell as Hip 18.  Taylor Made's Steve Castagnola said their team is excited about making their Inglis Digital USA debut. "This is the first time Taylor Made has consigned on the...

Soul of an Angel earned a berth in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint with a last-to-first dominating victory in the GIII Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream Park Saturday. The 2-1 shot dawdled at the start and was last in the early strides. Completely out of the picture as the quarter went up in :23.10, the dark bay mare was inching closer, but was still far back through a half in :45.79. Tipped to the center of the track into the lane, Soul of an Angel produced a powerful rally...

Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) breezed a half mile in :49.90 over the Oklahoma dirt training track Sunday in preparation for a start in the Sept. 28 GII Woodward at Belmont at the Big A. Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., the 5-year-old won three graded stakes this season, including last time out in the GII Charles Town Classic on Aug. 23. "It's a good spot for him and he's doing well at Saratoga, so it's not too long of a ship," Joseph, Jr. said. "He just seems to keep getting better....

In most barns, after winning a $500,000 handicap at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 1 the 7-year-old gelding Goliad (War Front) would have gone to the sidelines, the trainer not daring to run him back in less than six weeks or so. Not Goliad. Hall of Fame conditioner Richard Mandella brought him back in six days. With so much money available at Kentucky Downs, a number of trainers ignored conventional wisdom and gave their horses two starts at the seven-day meet. That meant layoffs of no more than 13 days, with...

Bellavinino (Get Stormy), a juvenile who recently finished second in a stakes race at Kentucky Downs, will be offered in the Inglis Digital USA September Sale which is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 25, according to a press release from the sales company on Thursday. The daughter of Get Stormy closed to finish as the runner-up in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Stakes Sept. 8. Two starts earlier, Bellavinino won on debut by 3 1/4 lengths over the Gulfstream Park turf. Owned by C2 Racing Stable and trained by Saffie Joseph...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- George Krikorian's dependable War Like Goddess (English Channel) will make her age-matching seventh career Saratoga start Saturday in the GII $500,000 Flower Bowl. War Like Goddess has never been worse than third at Saratoga Race Course. The turf distance specialist won the 1 3/8-mile Flower Bowl in 2021, its last year as a Grade I, and was second by a neck in 2022. Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott did not run her in the race last year. The Flower Bowl will be her third start...