Latest news with #SaffieJosephJr
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Skippylongstocking Works At The Spa, No Decision Yet On Whitney
Skippylongstocking Works At The Spa, No Decision Yet On Whitney originally appeared on Paulick Report. Daniel Alonso's multimillionaire Skippylongstocking breezed a half-mile in 49.22 second on Saturday over the main track at Saratoga Race Course. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said he will wait until entry day [Sunday] to decide whether the 6-year-old Exaggerator bay will run in next Saturday's $1-million Whitney (G1), a nine-furlong test for older horses here. The Whitney offers a 'Win and You're In' berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Del Mar. Skippylongstocking worked in company with Walley World while completing his fifth timed move at the Spa since a three-quarter-length victory in the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup on May 26 at Santa Anita Park. That was his 11th career victory among his multiple graded stakes-winning and multiple Grade 1-placed 32 start career, which includes 2023-24 victories in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic, set to be contested August 22 at its namesake oval. 'He went a half in company with Walley World,' said Joseph. 'The Whitney is in the cards, but we don't need to decide until we have to, so tomorrow morning we will decide that. We didn't run in the Stephen Foster this year, so we ran last year in the Whitney, but we do want to try to win three Charles Town Classics with him. That is the main goal, and tomorrow we will decide if we enter the Whitney.' Skippylongstocking was fifth in last year's Whitney before a dominant Charles Town Classic score. Joseph said taking that path again is undecided with the Whitney appearing to be especially tough, including 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and Whitney-winning stablemate White Abarrio. 'The cons are the competition,' Joseph said, with a laugh. 'That is a tough race. That is the con. The pros are if he were to win it. We want to run in the Whitney, I know we did it last year, but if he runs in the Whitney and has a hard race and you mess up the Charles Town Classic, that is the drawback.' Joseph said White Abarrio's presence will have no bearing on the Skippylongstocking decision. The multimillionaire 6-year-old Race Day gray is owned by C Two Racing Stable, Gary Barber and La Milagrosa Stable. 'They've run against each other all the time. The fact is White Abarrio is a better horse than him on paper, he's beat him [most of] the times they've matched up, and you've got more than him [targeting the Whitney], there's Fierceness and Sierra Leone,' Joseph said. 'The main thing is the competition.' White Abarrio was fourth last out in the one-mile Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 7 at Saratoga. 'He got bumped a couple times into the first turn, jostled for position, after that he was in a good enough spot, but it seems like at that distance, the positions don't really change. In the majority of the races who is first or second kind of goes around there,' said Joseph. 'He's coming into this well. He has one more work, he will go three-eighths the last work and hopefully he comes out well and has a good week.' Michael Ryan's Grade 1 winner Be Your Best scratched from the Grade 1 Dunkin' Diana on July 12 at Saratoga due to heavy rain before the race and now targets the Grade 2 Beverly D. on August 9 at Colonial Downs. Joseph said the 5-year-old Muhaarar bay is also under consideration for the Grade 2, $300,000 Ballston Spa on August 8 here in search of finding a course with firm turf. Be Your Best worked a half-mile in 49 3/5 seconds, according to NYRA clockers, over the main track on Saturday. 'She went well. She went a half from the three-eighths pole, 49 and three,' said Joseph. 'Plan A is the Colonial race, the Beverly D., but there is also the Ballston Spa the day before here. Wherever the weather is good. She needs firm turf. If Colonial has rain, she'll run here. If both are firm, she'll run at Colonial. We haven't discussed whether we will cross-enter, but those are the options, basically.' Be Your Best was a last-out 2 3/4-length gate-to-wire winner of the nine-furlong Grade 1 Gamely in May at Santa Anita. She has won 4-of-6 efforts for Joseph, Jr. since transferring from trainer Horacio De Paz in October 2024, taking the 11-furlong Grade 3 Long Island at Aqueduct Racetrack, and Gulfstream Park's one-mile Grade 3 Suwannee River and 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grade 3 Princess Rooney Highlight Of Gulfstream Sunshine Meet
Grade 3 Princess Rooney Highlight Of Gulfstream Sunshine Meet originally appeared on Paulick Report. The $200,000 Grade 3 Princess Rooney Invitational, a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' event, will highlight the 2025 Sunshine Meet stakes schedule of 17 races worth $1.625 million in purses at Gulfstream seven-furlong stakes for fillies and mares, which offers the winner a fees-paid berth in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Nov. 1 at Del Mar, will be renewed Sept. 20. Last year, Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Soul of an Angel captured the Princess Rooney by 3 ¼ lengths before going on to rally from last to prevail in the seven-furlong Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint by a half-length at Del Mar. Michael McCarthy-trained Ce Ce won the 2021 Princess Rooney before going on to score in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Del Mar. Ce Ce returned to Gulfstream to win the 2022 Princess Rooney, but was unsuccessful in her defence of her Breeders' Cup title at Keeneland. Both Soul of an Angel and Ce Ce were honored with the Champion Female Sprinter Eclipse Award after winning the Princess Rooney and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. The stakes action for the Sunshine Meet (Sept. 5 through Nov. 23) will be kicked off by the first leg of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds, Florida-breds. The $100,000 FSS Dr. Fager, a six-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds, and the $100,000 FSS Desert Vixen, a six-furlong dash for juvenile fillies, will be run on Sept. FSS action will resume Oct. 18 with the $150,000 FSS Affirmed, a seven-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds, and the $150,000 FSS Susan's Girl, a seven-furlong stakes for juvenile fillies. The $100,000 Gil Campbell Memorial, a 1-mile stakes for Florida-bred 3-year-olds and up, will also be featured on the Oct. 18 program. Campbell, the late president of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association, owned Stonehedge Farm South in Williston, Fla., with his wife Marilyn, who is still very much active in breeding and owning stakes are scheduled to be conducted on a turf course that is currently undergoing renovation. The $75,000 Bob Umphrey Sprint, a five-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up, and the $75,000 Ginger Punch, a 1-mile stakes for fillies and mares, will kick off the turf stakes action on the Princess Rooney Invitational undercard Sept. 20. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Haulin Ice Nears All-Time Arkansas-Bred Earnings Record
Haulin Ice Nears All-Time Arkansas-Bred Earnings Record originally appeared on Paulick Report. Multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Haulin Ice is on the doorstep of history after a front-running victory in the Musical Romance Handicap on June 22 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., that pushed her career earnings to $828,900, just short of Nodouble's $846,749, an all-time record for an accredited Arkansas-bred. The $75,000 Musical Romance was for fillies and mares, 3 and up, at 6 ½ furlongs. Haulin Ice won the Musical Romance by 3 1/4 lengths as the 2-5 favorite. Edgard Zayas rode Haulin Ice ($2.80) for Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. She races for C2 Racing Stable LLC, Paul Braverman, Miller Racing LLC, and Timothy Pinch. Advertisement Haulin Ice, who carried top weight of 126 pounds, ran 6 ½ furlongs over a good track in 1:16.64. After an opening half-mile in :44.89, she wasn't threatened approaching the wire. A 4-year-old gray daughter of millionaire Oaklawn stakes winner Coal Front, Haulin Ice has a 9-3-0 record from 15 lifetime starts. The Musical Romance was her fifth career stakes victory. Haulin Ice whipped state-breds in the $150,000 Downthedustyroad Breeders' Stakes March 1 at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., and was successful against open company in its $250,000 Matron Stakes March 29. Both races were six furlongs. Haulin Ice became the leading accredited Arkansas-bred female money winner in history with a front-running five-length victory in the Matron, surpassing Connie K, who earned $620,612 during a 28-race career from 2021-'24. Haulin Ice was exiting a neck victory over stablemate R Disaster in the Grade 3 Vagrancy Stakes for older fillies and mares May 4 at Aqueduct in South Ozone Park, N.Y., collecting her first graded stakes victory and bumping her career earnings to $784,350. Haulin Ice has a 6-2-0 record in eight lifetime starts at Oaklawn, with earnings of $612,050. Nodouble, the 1968 Arkansas Derby winner and the country's champion older horse in 1969 and 1970, won 13 of 42 career starts. He completed his racing career in 1970. Haulin Ice was named the 2024 Arkansas-bred Horse of the Year by the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders' & Horsemen's Association after winning five of 10 starts, including the $75,000 Azalea Stakes in July at Gulfstream Park, and earning $447,350. She made her first five career starts at the 2023-2024 Oaklawn meeting before being privately purchased and transferred to Joseph in the spring of 2024. She completed her busy 2024 campaign with a victory in open company Dec. 22 at Oaklawn. The $136,000 allowance sprint was one of seven victories at the meeting for Joseph. This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Kentucky Derby 2025: Rain to change odds; here's the new favourite horses at Churchill Downs
The weather forecast for the Kentucky Derby 2025 has taken a turn, with AccuWeather now predicting a 71% chance of rain for the first Saturday in May. While early clouds may give way to some sun, scattered showers are still likely throughout the day. The National Weather Service echoes a similar outlook, calling for rain and unseasonably high temperatures. This change in weather has affected the odds for the race as well. Also Read: Kentucky Derby 2025 weather forecast: Will rain cancel the 151st race? Are umbrellas allowed inside facility? If you are looking to fine-tune your Kentucky Derby bets in light of the rainy forecast, it's worth considering which horses have experience running on wet tracks. Below is a list of contenders with proven performance in the mud or rain, organised by their program numbers and morning-line odds to help guide your wagering strategy, as reported by the Courier-Journal. Also Read: Kentucky Derby 2025: List of horses at Churchill Downs and how much they cost their owners Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr. Jockey: Luis Saez Neoequos has had a mixed record on sloppy tracks, making him a wildcard in wet conditions. In his debut last July at Gulfstream Park, he failed to finish after being bumped at the start and unseating his rider. However, he redeemed himself on January 23 at the same track, cruising to a 3½-length win in an allowance race run under similar rainy conditions. Trainer: Brad Cox Jockey: Luan Machado It took Final Gambit three chances to break his maiden, but it is to be noted that it did so in rainy conditions on February 15 on an all-weather track at Turfway Park. The Derby will be his first test on dirt, but assistant trainer Tessa Walden isn't worried. After his strong performance in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks, Walden expressed confidence as she said, 'He's got the maturity now to handle something different." Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas Jockey: Nik Juarez American Promise, the son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, picked up his first win on a muddy track at Oaklawn on December 29. Champion of the Virginia Derby has performed in rainy conditions only once other time in his nine-year career. On September 27, he ran the sloppy tracks at Churchill, where he came in eighth position. Trainer: Whit Beckman Jockey: Joe Ramos Flying Mohawk has seen wet conditions early in his career, but the Kentucky Derby will be his first attempt on dirt. He showed promise with a second-place finish on a firm turf track at Kentucky Downs on September 1, but struggled on a softer surface later that month, finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes on yielding turf at Aqueduct. Trainer: Steve Asmussen Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. Publisher is set to become just the 13th maiden to run in the Kentucky Derby since 1937. Though he hasn't won yet, the son of Triple Crown champion American Pharoah has placed in five of his seven starts, including solid performances in tough conditions—finishing third on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs and second in the mud at Oaklawn. Trainer: Lonnie Briley Jockey: Juan Vargas Coal Battle, the first graded-stakes winner for trainer Briley in over 30 years, has shown strong form on wet tracks. He broke his maiden last July on a sloppy surface at Evangeline and kicked off a four-race winning streak in November with a 2½-length victory in the mud at Delta Downs.
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Neoequos trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse
Neoequos trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse Show Caption Hide Caption Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Neoequos trains at Churchill Downs Watch Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Neoequos train on April 28 at Churchill Downs. Trainer is Saffie Joseph Jr. Horse is 2-2-2 in seven starts. Neoequos will enter the Kentucky Derby off a third-place finish in the Florida Derby on March 29 Neoequos will try to become the first Florida-bred to win the Kentucky Derby since Silver Charm in 1997 Neoequos is one of 20 horses expected to enter the 2025 Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs. Spots for the Run for the Roses are earned by gaining points through a series of Kentucky Derby prep races that began last September. The post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday, April 26. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. Neoequos will enter the Kentucky Derby off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 29 at Gulfstream Park. He currently ranks 17th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 40. Color: Bay. Bred in: Florida. Sire: Neolithic. Dam: Bold Birdie, by Birdstone. Price tag: $22,000 at 2023 Ocala Breeders' October Yearling Sale. Owners: C2 Racing Stable (Clint and Mark Cornett); Ian Parsard; Shining Stables; Stefania Farms. This is the second Derby for C2 Racing Stable, which finished 16th with White Abarrio in 2022. It's the first Derby for the others. Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr. He's 0 for 3 in the Derby, best finish coming with Ny Traffic (eighth) in 2020. Jockey: Luis Saez. He's 0 for 11 in the Derby, best finish coming with Essential Quality (third) in 2021. Record: 2-2-2 in seven starts. Career earnings: $291,050. Road to the Kentucky Derby points: 40 (No. 17). Last race: Third in Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 29 at Gulfstream Park. Running style: At or near the front early. Notes: All seven of Neoequos' races have come at Gulfstream Park. He finished third in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on March 1 before matching that result in the Florida Derby. … Neolithic, the sire of Neoequos, earned $2.2 million over his career but was distance-challenged and never won a race longer than 1 1/16 miles. … Six Florida-breds have won the Kentucky Derby, the last being Silver Charm in 1997. What they're saying: 'The distance (of the Kentucky Derby) is still a question mark, but he keeps running well enough and fast enough on the figures to keep going and try,' Joseph said. Last May, NBC Sports announced a partnership with Churchill Downs to present the Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock through 2032. The extension includes multiplatform rights to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and Derby and Oaks Day programming, which will be presented on NBC, Peacock, USA Network and additional NBCU platforms. You can stream the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Fubo and Peacock. Post time for the 151st Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@ Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ. More horse racing: Here's how Journalism, likely Kentucky Derby favorite, got his name from a former editor
