Saffie Joseph Jr.

'Skippy' Works Ahead of Woodward; Joseph Charts Plan with Team

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....

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Horses Coming Back On Short Rest Thrived At Kentucky Downs

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...

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Juvenile Filly Bellavinino Cataloged To Inglis Digital USA September Sale

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...

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Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Saratoga-Loving War Like Goddess Returns to Flower Bowl

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...

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Skippylongstocking Takes Them Wire To Wire In CT Classic

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...

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Mystic Lake Sharp In Charles Town Oaks Victory

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...

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'It's Personal' In Grade I Ensign Rematch At The Spa

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...

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R Morning Brew A First Winner For Curlin's Honor

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...

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Dragoon Guard Looks For Four Straight In West Virginia Derby

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...

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Saratoga Notebook, Presented by NYRA Bets: Trainer Joseph Looking at Three Options for 'Consistent' Skippy

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...

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Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Sanford Champ Mo Plex Could Run In Spa's Hopeful Or Funny Cide

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...

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Making Waves: Shamardal's American Legacy

   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...

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