Saffie Joseph

The third of five pools for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is set for its three-day stand Friday at noon with the pari-mutuel field of "All Other 3-Year-Olds" tabbed as the clear 5-2 morning line favorite while Lucky Seven Stable's undefeated Smile Happy (Runhappy) along with C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's GIII Holy Bull S. winner White Abarrio (Race Day) lead the individual choices at 8-1. The third KDFW pool will run through Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Bettors can place win and exacta wagers at simulcast outlets...

C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio (Race Day), winner of Saturday's GIII Holy Bull S., will likely make his next start in the Apr. 2 GI Curlin Florida Derby, trained Saffie Joseph, Jr. confirmed Sunday morning. "We talked it out over at dinner [Saturday] night, and I'd say its not set in stone, but he's going to straight to the Florida Derby," Joseph said. "We don't have to decide now, but everyone was kind of on the same page to go straight to the Florida Derby. The...

Red Oak Stables' Make It Big (Neolithic) may have earned a position on the Kentucky Derby trail with his win in Friday's Remington Springboard Mile S. The Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee accumulated 10 qualifying points to the Derby with his half-length victory over Osbourne (Tapiture) in Oklahoma. "We are, obviously, very excited. He was stepping up in class, shipping for the first time and going two turns [for the first time]. He handled it all as good as you could ask for," said Joseph. "He sat in the pocket, made...

A new era began Thursday at Gulfstream when the 4-year-old claimer Emoji Guy (Khozan) won the opening race on the card, the first to be run over the newly installed Tapeta track. It was the first of four races on the day run on the synthetic surface. As is the case with all of the synthetic races, the first was largely uneventful. Trained by Kathleen O'Connell and ridden by Edwin Gonzalez, Emoji Guy was fifth early before launching a bid nearing the turn. He made the lead in mid-stretch and...

J Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) puts his perfect three-for-three Saratoga record on the line when he faces five rivals in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. at Saratoga Saturday. The bay colt won last year's GII Saratoga Special S. and GI Hopeful S. and returned to the upstate oval to annex the Aug. 1 GII Amsterdam S. last time out. "He's done really well," trainer Steve Asmussen said of Jackie's Warrior. "All three of his races at Saratoga were obviously very good. We're anxious to...

Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music) and Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) hooked up in a memorable duel in the June 5 GI Woody Stephens S., with Drain the Clock grinding out a narrow victory in the seven-furlong event. The two sophomores match up again in the 6 1/2-furlong GII Amsterdam S. at Saratoga Sunday. Slam Dunk Racing and Madaket Stables' Drain the Clock, 2-1 on the morning line, captured the seven-furlong GIII Swale S. at Gulfstream in January and was second in the 1 1/16-mile GII Fountain of Youth S. Shipped...

Undefeated as a sprinter this season, Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) will turn back to six furlongs after being defeated in the one-mile GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. as a likely favorite in Saturday's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga. Proving himself as an exciting sophomore prospect last season with back-to-back open-lengths scores in the GIII Swale S. and GIII Gotham S., but missed the triple Crown and failed to crack the trifecta in his last two starts for John Servis when fourth in the...

Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) took his 2021 record to a perfect three-for-three and scored a career high Saturday in Aqueduct's GI Carter H. Breaking sharply alongside the fleet-footed Chateau (Flat Out), the 4-5 chalk allowed his foe to dictate terms, sitting two lengths back in second as Chateau clocked a :23.09 first quarter and :45.89 half-mile. Chateau turned for home in front, but Mischevious Alex was just winding up. The bay inhaled the pacesetter by mid-stretch and rolled clear with ease under a hand ride from Irad Ortiz to win...

Despite a solid runner-up finish last out in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music)'s future appears to be around one turn, and he figures to be an overwhelming favorite in Saturday's seven-furlong GIII Bay Shore S. at Aqueduct. Romping to a six-length debut graduation as an 8-5 favorite in a Gulfstream off-the-turfer Sept. 12, the Saffie Joseph trainee repeated in a Gulfstream West allowance/optional claimer Oct. 28 before losing his rider when making his stakes bow in the Jean Lafitte S. Nov. 30 at...

Three Chimneys Farm and e Five Racing's Collaborate (Into Mischief), tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his impressive maiden score at Gulfstream Park Saturday, has put himself on track for the Mar. 27 GI Curlin Florida Derby, trainer Saffie Joseph confirmed Sunday. "The Florida Derby is at home and he just has to walk out of his stall," Joseph said. "I talked to the owners briefly yesterday and it will probably be between the Florida Derby, the [GII] Wood [at Aqueduct Apr. 3] or the [GII Toyota] Blue Grass [at...

In an interview in Thursday's 'Second Chances' column profiling Collaborate (Into Mischief) after a useful debut fifth in the Gulfstream slop Feb. 6, trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said that, "Hopefully, we get to see the horse that we think he is [Saturday]." Did we ever. The $600,000 FTSAUG yearling, campaigned in partnership by Three Chimneys Farm and e Five Racing, ran to the billing with a 12 1/2-length daylight victory, easily good enough for 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Favored at 7-5 in a deep-looking maiden special weight going six furlongs...

The Week in Review, by T.D. Thornton Saturday's Claiming Crown races produced a three-way tie atop the North American leaderboard for winningest horse in terms of victories in 2020. Galerio (Jump Start), Frost Or Frippery (Lewis Michael) and Combination (Alternation) all enter the final three weeks of the year tied with eight wins apiece. How about scheduling a three-way invitational among these relatively matched geldings to settle the score prior to Dec. 31? The category of most victories in a season is annually overshadowed by the purse-earnings rankings, which are...