Saffie Joseph, Jr. Suspended 15 Days In Pennsylvania For Positive, Will Appeal

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 for horses with pain rising from laminitis, particularly as part of a multimodal approach to pain management.”

Joseph denied any wrongdoing and said he is appealing the ruling.

“I had never even heard of this medication and it was never used on that horse or any horse I've had,” he said. “We've never had it in the barn. I was completely shocked by this.”

According to a document from the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, which Joseph forwarded to the TDN, Artie's Princess was also tested the afternoon before the race and was negative “for the presence of foreign substances.” Joseph questioned how the same horse could test positive the next day when it had not had any further veterinary treatment.

“She was tested 24 hours before the race by the same Pennsylvania lab,” he said. “The horse was negative and was then positive the next day when no vet treated her. How is that possible? The proof is in the pudding.”

Joseph also said the horse tested positive at a level that should be considered below the recognized threshold level.

“The stewards had all the facts and they made a decision,” Joseph said. “They chose not to step up to the plate and did not make a decision based on the facts. I'm not denying what was there. But how did it get there? I don't know. If you follow the science and the studies that have been done, it shouldn't even be called a positive.”

Joseph asked for a split sample. The Texas A & M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed the positive finding.

Had he not appealed, Joseph's suspension would have run from June 5 through June 19, 2023.

The Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission also ordered the disqualification of Artie's Princess and a redistribution of the purse. Café Society (Empire Maker) originally finished second in the race.

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GISW Proxy Heads Pegasus Workers

Godolphin's Proxy (Tapit) had his last major workout at the Fair Grounds Saturday in preparation for the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Jan. 28. The 5-year-old official time for the six-furlong move to the seven-eighths pole was 1:13.20, the fastest of two works at the distance Saturday morning.

Working in tandem with stablemate Global Sensation (Into Mischief), the pair covered five-eighths in 1:00.40, with Proxy working an additional eighth-mile past the wire. With a crush of horses working right after the track's renovation break, exercise rider Arturo Aparicio ran into traffic past the wire and had to steer Proxy around a couple of horses galloping out from their own workout.

“Basically Proxy had to go around those horses and weave a little bit to navigate around the turn,” Stidham explained. “It probably cost him a length or two in the final time. But a very nice work. He finished up well and went on out real nice and continued to gallop out well down the backside.”

He added, “The last work [five-eighths in a minute flat] and this work were the two important works. I just wanted to see him finish up willingly and then continue around the turn with good energy. He did that last time and this time really well.”

Runner-up in the GIII Lecomte S. and GII Risen Star S. in the spring of his sophomore season, the homebred finished fourth in the GII Louisiana Derby and GIII Lexington S. before bowing out for the remainder of the season. In 2022, he returned with an allowance win in New Orleans in February before hitting the board in his next four starts, including a third in the GII Stephen Foster S. last summer. Trying Grade I company for the first time in the Nov. 25 Clark, he came home a 3/4-length winner going nine furlongs, the same distance as the Pegasus.

“We talk about it, that Proxy wasn't quite where he needed to be to go into the Triple Crown,” Stidham explained. “It wasn't 'Oh well, why don't we do this or that?' It was a done deal. Believe me, the reason [2021 G1 Dubai World Cup scorer] Mystic Guide [Ghostzapper] did what he did was because of that, allowing us to go slow with him and skip some of the big races, including the Breeders' Cup. With Proxy, skipping the Triple Crown has allowed us to get to winning the Clark. I don't think a lot of people realize how important those decisions are in a horse's career, for their future.”

Also working toward the Pegasus, Saffie Joseph Jr. sent out Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) and Fernando Vine Ode and Michael and Jules Iavarone's O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) to the main track at Palm Meadows for easy half-mile breezes Saturday morning.

Skippylongstocking breezed a half-mile in :48.50 (18/99), while O'Connor was caught in :51.05 (88/99) at Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. Both horses were breezing for the first time since running in the GIII Harlan's Holiday S., won by Skippylongstocking. O'Connor finished fourth in the 8 1/2-furlong test Dec. 31. Joseph Jr. also trains White Abarrio (Race Day), who prepped for the Pegasus at Gulfstream Friday morning with a five-furlong work in :59.24.

Joseph also sent Ken Ramsey and the Estate of Sarah Ramsay's Artie's Princess (We Miss Artie) to Palm Meadows' main track for a half-mile breeze in :48.45 in preparation for a start in the GIII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf invitational.

At Santa Anita Saturday, GI Awesome Again winner Defunded (Dialed In) also worked in advance of the Pegasus World Cup. The Bob Baffert trainee drilled six furlongs in 1:12.6.

Taking on the Pegasus Turf

At Santa Anita Saturday morning, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Speaking Scout (Mr Speaker), victorious in the Dec. 3 GI Hollywood Derby, breezed a half-mile in :48.20 for a start in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. Also pointing toward the Turf, Three Diamonds Farm's Atone posted his third straight bullet workout Saturday at Gulfstream, powering through five-eighths of a mile in :59.96 (1/48). The prior two weeks, Atone worked in :59.04 and :59.20.

A $130,000 Fasig-Tipton July purchase, he led all the way through a leisurely pace to win his last start, an Aqueduct turf allowance Nov. 10.

“He's in top form. The freshening did him well, so I expect another big performance from him,” said trainer Mike Maker, who won the 2020 Pegasus Turf with Zulu Alpha. “He's always been a straightforward horse, works well, puts a bunch into his gallops.”

For the second straight year, Atone needed defections from the Pegasus Turf's original invitees in order to run. Last year, he finished fourth, losing by a total of 1 3/4 lengths to two-time winner Colonel Liam (Liam's Map).

While the 6-year-old gelding has never won a stakes, he has hot the board five times in graded-stakes over the past 13 months.

“He's been a little bit of a hard-luck horse,” Maker said. “He's a lot more mature this year than he was last year.”

Maker also indicated Mark Breen's Endorsed (Medaglia d'Oro), fourth in last year's Pegasus World Cup at 85-1 odds, and Nice Guy Stables' GIII Knickerbocker S. winner King Cause (Creative Cause), who is awaiting a spot in the Pegasus Turf, would run if they get into their respective races.

Both horses are currently on the reserve list. The final invitational lists will be released Wednesday, Jan. 18 with the draw for all Pegasus races to take place Sunday, Jan. 22.

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36 Horses Supplemented to KEEJAN

Keeneland has added 36 horses–led by Canadian champion Artie's Princess (We Miss Artie) and stakes winners Chasing Artie (We Miss Artie) and Ramsey Solution (Real Solution)–in the latest round of supplements to the 2022 January Horses of All Ages Sale to be held Jan. 10-13. Supplemental entries have been accommodated at the end of each of the four sessions.

Artie's Princess, Chasing Artie and Ramsey Solution are among 14 supplements–racing prospects, racing or stallion prospects and racing or broodmare prospects–consigned by Paramount Sales, agent, and scheduled to sell at the end of the Jan. 13 session.

Additional supplements to the January Sale are in-foal mares, racing or broodmare prospects, horses of racing age and a yearling. Covering sires are Constitution, Cupid, Mitole, Nyquist, Omaha Beach, Thousand Words and Vino Rosso.

These supplements include:

  • Gauff (Ire), a 3-year-old filly by leading French sire Siyouni. She is consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent, and cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect.
  • Lap of Luxury (Ire), a 9-year-old winning daughter of Galileo (Ire) who is a full sister to Group 2 winner Up (Ire). She is consigned by Eaton Sales, agent.
  • On Deck, a 5-year-old daughter of First Samurai who was second in this year's GIII Chillingworth at Santa Anita. Cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect, On Deck is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
  •        Reagan's Edge, a 4-year-old Grade II-placed daughter of Competitive Edge consigned by Denali Stud, agent. She is cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect.

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Equibase Analysis: Boardroom Gets Top Billing In Whimsical Stakes

Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Whimsical Stakes brings together eight strong distaff sprinters running six furlongs on the all-weather course at Woodbine but the spotlight will be on two of them, Artie's Princess and Boardroom, who meet for the third time in their brief careers.

When last seen in the fall in the Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes, Artie's Princess prevailed by a diminishing margin to win by a head over Boardroom, who had encountered stifling traffic on the far turn. Prior to that Boardroom had won the Duchess Stakes while Artie's Princess had won the Ruling Angel Stakes.

Our Secret Agent hopes to turn the tide on both fillies after finishing second in the Ruling Angel and Duchess before ending up third in the Bessarabian. Summer Sunday also has the credentials to run well, having taken the Belle Mahone Stakes last September three races following a third place effort in the 2020 Whimsical.

Chart is a stakes winner as well, having captured the Grade 2 Ontario Colleen Stakes on turf last summer at Woodbine. Amalfi Coast won the 2019 Bessarabian Stakes then 11 months later in October 2020 won the Sweet Briar Too Stakes so fits on all counts with these.

Sav has finished first or second in 11 of 16 career starts, with her best effort in a stakes coming when third in the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion Stakes last September. Golden Ami won the first two races of her career last March and November before a sixth place finish in the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl Stakes in her only try at this level.

Boardroom gets slight preference to win this year's Whimsical Stakes. She might be a perfect-five-for five in her career except for two things beyond her control- broken equipment and severe traffic trouble. After easily winning the first two starts of her career last June and July, Boardroom suffered from a piece of broken equipment in the Ruling Angel Stakes (won by Artie's Princess) which denied jockey Contreras steering control. The fact that Boardroom finished third in that race was a testament to her desire to win. Next up in October, Boardroom won the Duchess Stakes, earning a career best 101 ™ Equibase® Speed Figure in the process, which was the same figure Artie's Princess earned for her Ruling Angel victory.

When these two fillies next met in the Bessarabian in November, Boardroom was in position to win on the far turn when a horse boxed her in, forcing her and jockey Contreras to wait for a break in traffic when otherwise she would have been in high gear. After circling four paths wide on the turn while the winner got a much better trip, Boardroom was closing with every stride when the wire came, missing by a head with another 101 figure. With the outside post in the Whimsical, Boardroom should be able to avoid traffic while it is likely Golden Ami sets a brisk pace, chased closely by Sav, giving her the opportunity to close nicely to win this race.

Summer Sunday loves to win races, as evidenced by her record of eight victories from 12 starts on the all-weather main track at Woodbine. As a four year old (the same age as Boardroom and Artie's Princess) in 2019, Summer Sunday won the Hendrie Stakes and Royal North Stakes in succession, then in her 2020 debut she finished third in the Whimsical. Later last season she won an allowance race during the summer before taking the Belle Mahone Stakes in the fall, with the better of those two efforts earning a 100 ™ figure good enough to be competitive with the main contenders if repeated.

Artie's Princess won the first two starts of her career in the summer and fall of 2019, then nearly won the Frost King Stakes with a career-best 102 figure. Resting from November of that year to last June, Artie's Princess returned to win easily with a 99 figure then two later won the Ruling Angel with a 101 figure effort. Duplicating that in the Bessarabian and having won all three races in her career when returning from a layoff as she's doing today, Artie's Princess has every right to add to her already strong five-for-six record on the main track at Woodbine with a win in the Whimsical Stakes.

The rest of the field, with their best ™ Equibase Speed Figures, is Amalfi Coast (103), Chart (85), Golden Ami (100), Our Secret Agent (100) and Sav (99).

Win Contenders:
Boardroom
Summer Sunday
Artie's Princess

Whimsical Stakes – Grade 3
Race 9 at Woodbine
Saturday, June 19 – Post Time 5:31 PM E.T.
Six Furlongs on all-weather
Fillies and Mares, Four Year Olds and Upward
Purse: $150,000

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