Saffie Joseph Jr.

6th-Gulfstream, $43,000, Msw, 6-9, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:16.63, gd, 7 3/4 lengths. SECOND I D (c, 3, Maclean's Music--Cowboytakemeaway, by Street Cry {Ire}), the most highly regarded of the first-time starters taking on a field of more experienced maidens at odds of 7-2, pressured Mighty Miracle (Chitu) for the lead through an opening quarter in :22.39. As that rival began to grow weary around the turn, Second I D had plenty left and responded nicely when asked, clearing off down the stretch to hit the wire alone 7 3/4 lengths...

Lord Miles (Curlin), who was ordered scratched from the GI Kentucky Derby by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) because he is part of the Saffie Joseph, Jr. stable, will bypass the GI Preakness S. and is unlikely to run in the GI Belmont S., Joseph said Friday. A day earlier owner Peter Vegso had told the TDN that both the Preakness and Belmont were under consideration. The decision came after Lord Miles worked four furlongs in :49.50 Friday morning at Palm Meadows. "He had a good work but the...

News out of Churchill Downs last week that two of trainer Saffie Joseph Jr's horses had collapsed and died within days of each other has reignited talk around one of the most confounding--and by extension, frustrating--issues in racing: sudden equine death. More than four years ago in response to the death of GI-placed Bobby Abu Dhabi (Macho Uno)--what was initially suspected a sudden cardiac-related event--the TDN took a lengthy dive into the issue. In a nutshell, sudden cardiac deaths oftentimes leave no discernable physical sign for pathologists to piece together...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With no shortage of racing fans, horsemen and media lined up along the outer rail, the Churchill Downs backstretch got awfully quiet in a hurry as Verifying (Justify) lost his exercise rider leaving the five-eighths marker during Thursday morning's special training session for GI Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses. A big tip of the cap goes out to outriders Greg Blasi and Lee Lockwood, who did a fantastic job of apprehending the GI Blue Grass S. runner-up at the quarter pole. Trainer Brad Cox later reported that...

After four equine fatalities suffered on the track over five days at Churchill Downs, the track issued a statement Wednesday saying that they share the concern fans had expressed over the past week, and would continue to "press for answers." Kentucky Derby hopeful Wild On Ice (Tapizar) suffered a fatal hind-end injury on April 27 after a work at Churchill and was later euthanized. Take Charge Briana (Curlin) broke down in the fifth race over the Churchill turf course Tuesday. While there would appear to be no connection between those...

Lord Miles (c, 3, Curlin--Lady Esme, by Majestic Warrior) outslugged the top two choices on the board to spring a massive upset in a roughly run renewal of Saturday's GII Wood Memorial S. at the Big A. Disregarded at 59-1 following a sixth-place finish in the GIII Holy Bull S. Feb. 4 and a fifth-place finish in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 11, the Peter Vegso homebred was hustled early by Paco Lopez and raced in second rounding the clubhouse turn. Ridden along in an outside fourth down the...

Irad Ortiz Jr. finished off the Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park in style Saturday, piloting Forte to a victory in Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby to tally his sixth winner on the day alone. With three more winning rides on Sunday's closing day program, Ortiz finished the Championship Meet with 128 victories to reclaim the jockey title for the winter Thoroughbred session. Ortiz ran away with this year's title while finishing 57 wins ahead of the Luis Saez, who finished three wins ahead of third-place Jose Ortiz. "I've had big...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL-The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, which had four million-dollar juveniles a year ago, has matched that mark with another day to go as a colt by Good Magic topped Tuesday's trade with a sale co-record final price of $2 million. Bob Baffert, sitting in the press box alongside Donato Lanni while on the phone with Amr Zedan, made the winning bid, which matched the $2-million price tag of Chestertown (Tapit), who sold at the auction in 2019. "It...

Our series featuring notable success for European sires in North America, with this week's highlight being the victory of Grade I winner Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) in the GII Hillsborough S. at Tampa Bay Downs. Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Robert LaPenta's Shantisara is no stranger to the winner's circle, and the 2021 GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S. heroine secured her first victory since 2021 with a 1 1/4-length triumph in the Hillsborough S. on Saturday (video). Now a 5-year-old, the mare was bred by Oliver Donlon, and sold...

Saffie Joseph, Jr., the leading trainer at the current meet at Gulfstream Park, has been suspended for 15 days and fined $500 by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission after his trainee Artie's Princess (We Miss Artie) tested positive for the substance Gabapentin after her win in the GII Presque Isle Downs Masters S. on Sept. 19, 2022 at Presque Isle Downs. The story was first reported by the Paulick Report. According to the website Equinews.com, "Gabapentin has been used in horses for many years, and is often prescribed as adjunct therapy...

As the 3-year-olds line up to duke it out for next season's older- horse honors, Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) proved he's rounding back into form at just the right time when taking GII Harlan's Holiday S., the local prep for next year's GI Pegasus World Cup. A consistent presence on the Triple Crown trail earlier this year, Skippylongstocking was always right there in the year's biggest races--third to Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) in both the GII Wood Memorial S. and the GI Belmont S. and fifth behind Early Voting (Gun Runner) in...

BALTIMORE, MD--In the continued lead up to Saturday's GI Preakness S., the intensity in the air, as well as the increasing media presence, grew noticeably denser Thursday morning at Pimlico. A couple of groups of fans could be seen milling around the Stakes Barn area, in addition to large clusters of media hoping to get in their final interviews in before a jam-packed weekend of racing. Drawing a gaggle of reporters and interested onlookers, morningline favorite Epicenter (Not This Time), who continued with his usual routine and went out for...