Saffie Joseph Jr.

Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) gave trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. a sweep of Friday's graded events at Charles Town, leading every step of the way to successfully defend his title in the $1-million GII Charles Town Classic. Sent off the 11-10 chalk to become the fourth two-time winner and third back-to-back winner of West Virginia's richest horse race, the likeable bay was kicked straight into the lead by Jose Ortiz and dictated terms in advance of Frosted Departure (Frosted)--who was not ridden forward as is his custom--through fractions of :24.15 and :47.88. Ortiz...

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. started his night off strong, taking the first of two graded stakes at Charles Town Friday night as Mystic Lake (Mo Town) swept to the front in impressive fashion to win the GII Charles Town Oaks. The Florida-bred daughter of Mo Town wasn't bet like a winner, going off right on her 6-1 morning line, but entered on a strong run having won three of six starts this year in an "every other race" pattern. She earned her debut graded stakes win two back taking the...

Friday is shaping up to be quite a stakes-laden slate as the rescheduled King's Plate card from last weekend at Woodbine joins the GI Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga and a pair of pricey Grade IIs from Charles Town. TDN's full coverage of the races that were forced to move because of a deluge in Toronto can be found in Patrycja Szpyra's preview, plus a piece on the King's Plate by Bill Finley. As for the Spa feature, it boasts a set of intriguing match-ups between four of the runners...

2nd-Gulfstream, $45,000, (S), Msw, 8-9, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.45, sy, 4 1/2 lengths. R MORNING BREW (f, 2, Curlin's Honor--Foolhearted Woman, by Uncaptured), the 5-2 second choice, hustled from the gate and led this field under pressure early from eventual runner up Don't Fool With Me (Khozan). Still narrowly in front off the turn, she put that rival away down the stretch to graduate first time out by 4 1/2 lengths. The first winner for her freshman sire (by Curlin), R Morning Brew is a half to Dancing N Dixie...

Juddmonte Farms' progressive Dragoon Guard (Arrogate), a neck away from being unbeaten in his young career, carries a three-race winning streak and should jump a slight favorite in Sunday's $500,000 GIII West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park. The homebred son of the talented turf mare Filimbi (Mizzen Mast) was beaten a neck by future stakes winner Otto the Conqueror (Street Sense) on his seven-furlong debut at Churchill last September, but is perfect since, including an all-the-way victory over GI Santa Anita Derby hero Stronghold (Ghostzapper) in the GIII Indiana Derby...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--In his last eight starts, Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) has run at eight different racetracks. If trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. chooses the $1 million GI Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course for the 5-year-old's next start, it will be nine. Joseph said he is mulling over what is next for Skippy, who was last seen finishing third--missing second by a head--in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs on June 29. That was his first start since winning the GII Oaklawn Handicap on April 20. Besides the Whitney, Joseph...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--Trainer Jeremiah Englehart has some time to figure out what to do next with GIII Sanford Stakes winner Mo Plex (Complexity). The 2-year-old colt came out of his one-length Sanford win last Saturday in good shape, Englehart said Thursday outside his barn at the Oklahoma Annex. Now he has to decide when we'll see Mo Plex again. The options are the six-furlong, $200,000 Funny Cide for New York-breds on Aug. 25 or the seven-furlong, $300,000 GI Hopeful on Sept. 2, closing day. "I am definitely not ruling out...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Godolphin's Cinderella's Dream in the Belmont Oaks.   Slipper Fits For Godolphin Miss Flawless in her first four starts in England and Dubai prior to a seventh in the G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas, Cinderella's Dream (GB) (Shamardal) handed breeder Godolphin and Charlie Appleby a victory in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes during the final days of the Belmont at the Big A meeting...

Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day) will miss the John A. Nerud Stakes at Belmont's Aqueduct meet according to a report from C Two Racing Stable. The 5-year-old, who was moved back to trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. after finishing off the board in both the G1 Saudi Cup and the GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap for trainer Rick Dutrow, had been targeting the July 6 cutback but is still getting over an illness following his start in the Met Mile. "We are not going...

Drayden Van Dyke was quick out of the gate in his first weekend of riding at Gulfstream Park, finding the winner's circle on five of nine mounts, all of whom are trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. The 29-year-old jockey, who switched his tack from Santa Anita for a 30-day trial run at Gulfstream, won aboard his only mount Friday before winning on two of four mounts Saturday. Sunday, he won with Novo Sol in the second race and with Practically Dark in the eighth. Van Dyke earned the Eclipse Award...

With the better-known 'Mystik' still in the barn, Mystic Lake (Mo Town) went to the front end and never looked back, rolling home a 4 1/2-length winner over favored Youalmosthadme (Oxbow) in Friday's Miss Preakness S. at Pimlico. A second-out winner at Woodbine last fall, she was runner-up in that venue's Glorious Song S. on the synthetic in October before weakening late to be third in the GIII Mazarine S. in November. Kicking off 2024 with a win in Tampa's seven-panel Gasparilla S. on the dirt Jan. 13, the Florida-bred...

Proxy (Tapit) provided Godolphin with its first winner of the GII Oaklawn H. just 12 months ago and the progressive Highland Falls (Curlin) has legitimate claims to double that tally when he squares off with 10 others in the nine-furlong contest. Trained by Brad Cox--who somewhat surprisingly has never saddled an Oaklawn H. winner--the homebred son of GI Breeders' Cup Distaff upsetter Round Pond (Awesome Again) won three of his first four trips to the post in maiden and allowance company back east and was scarcely disgraced last time in...