Barbadian trainer Saffie Joseph Jr moved into a two-way tie on the top of the standings at the Gulfstream Park race track in the United States after he saddled two winners on Saturday, including one of the two main featured races.
The 36-year-old saddled R Harper Rose, which cruised to four-length win in the US $200 000 Susan’s Girl Stakes on the 11-race card.
The Susan’s Girl Stakes co-featured on the programme with the US$200,000 Affirmed Stakes, a seven-furlong stakes for colts and geldings in the $1.2-million series for two-year-olds sired by accredited Florida stallions, and it was one of three wins on the day for Joseph.
He earlier sent off odds-on favourite Mish that won by 2-1/2 lengths, under stable jockey Edgard Zayas, in the U.S. $31 000 starter optional claiming sixth race over seven furlongs on the dirt track.
Joseph also received word from neighbouring Canada that 6-1 chance Jokes Up won by a head under leading jockey Kazushi Kimura of Japan in the CAN$50 000 allowance optional claiming 10th race over 1 300 metres on the all-weather track at the Woodbine race track.
But the win by R Harper Rose, also under Zayas, was more fulfilling because the two-year-old, bay filly was taking on a longer distance.
“Seven-eighths (of a mile) is always the trickiest distance,” Joseph said. “To go from two 5 1/2-furlong races to seven-eighths is more testing than even a one-turn mile. To see her get through that was good.”
R Harper Rose was bumped soon after the start, but she recovered, and Zayas got her into position to pressure the pace-setter before taking over near the seven-sixteenths marker.
Zayas angled in R Harper Rose entering the turn, and she continued to show the way in the stretch, widening under a drive in the lane to clock one minute, 25.35 seconds.
Mish prompted the pace two wide and took over near the three-eighth pole before drawing off in the upper stretch and holding clear under a drive for a time of 1 min, 23.84 secs.
Across the border, Kimura settled Jokes Up off the pace before he advanced the three-year-old, chestnut filly on the turn, and she swept past rivals to grab the lead in the upper stretch and duelled with Princessofthenorth, under ace Barbadian reinsman Patrick Husbands, to the wire and got the nod in a time of 1:16.01, only 1.57 secs off the track record.
Joseph now has 19 wins at Gulfstream, where Jose Francisco D’Angelo also has the same number, but the win at Woodbine was only his fourth.
