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‘It Doesn’t Matter What Year You’re In It’: Joseph Looking Forward To Ny Traffic’s Run In Kentucky Derby

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said he was looking for a little more out of Ny Traffic in his penultimate work towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on September 5 at Churchill Downs, and the conditioner got just what he wanted when the four-time graded stakes placed son of Cross Traffic went a sharp five-eighths in 59.03 on Thursday morning over the Saratoga main track.

“He seems happy and that's the most important thing,” Joseph Jr. said. “I think that was our stiff work and it went as well as we could have wanted it to go. We just wanted him to come into a bit of urgency so the work will bring him forward and I think he got something out of it.”

Bred in the Empire State by Brian Culnan, Ny Traffic will arrive at the Kentucky Derby off runner-up finishes in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 21 at Fair Grounds, the Grade 3 Matt Winn on May 23 at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on July 18 at Monmouth Park, where he came up a nose shy of victory to wire-to-wire winner Authentic.

Ny Traffic will have one more work at Saratoga before shipping to Churchill Downs either next Sunday or Monday.

“We're ahead of schedule. We planned it that way in case we have to change things because of the weather,” Joseph Jr. said. “Right now, the weather has rain on Thursday or Friday so he could work next week any day between Thursday or Saturday of next week.”

Joseph Jr. is still relishing the opportunity to compete in the historic event for the first time.

“Obviously we are in a strange year, but in 30-40 years when you look back, it doesn't matter what year you're in it,” Joseph Jr. said. “It's still the Derby. If we can win it this year, it won't mean any less. It will mean everything.”

Ny Traffic is fifth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 110 points, which he garnered from his three runner-up efforts as well as a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Risen Star at Fair Grounds in February.

Joseph, Jr. said he is cautiously optimistic his colt will put in a winning performance against fellow New York-bred and likely race favorite Tiz the Law.

“We definitely feel that we're taking a horse with a chance. He's an outsider, but he has a legit chance,” Joseph, Jr. said. “Sometimes you take horses there that you know have no chance, but you still hope. But we feel that we have a horse that on his best day could upset them. Tiz the Law, he's a class above everybody. His record speaks for itself and we respect him, but we hope we can beat him.”

Also working for Joseph, Jr. on Thursday morning was Math Wizard, who provided the conditioner with his first Grade 1 victory when taking last year's Pennsylvania Derby. The son of Algorithms went a half-mile in 48.71 seconds and will most likely compete in next Saturday's Grade 2 Charles Town Classic, but is possible for the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward on September 5 at Saratoga.

“Charles Town is in play, but the Woodward is on the backburner,” Joseph, Jr. said. “He worked well this morning and it would be his last work if he ends up going to Charles Town. We'll play it by ear and talk to the owner and see what they want to do.”

Two-time graded stakes winner Tonalist's Shape went five furlongs in 1:01.22 over the Saratoga main track and is likely for either the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on Friday, September 4 or the Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs on the same day.

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Ny Traffic’s Haskell Second Leads To Jump In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

Authentic's victory in the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes allowed him to hold his ground on the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Three-Year-Old Poll, but it was race runner-up Ny Traffic who gained heightened regard among voters.

In earning his first career top-level triumph on July 18, Authentic kept himself among the leading Kentucky Derby contenders and remained in the third position on the poll with 280 points. The son of Into Mischief improved his record to four wins from five career starts as he trails only Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law (38 first-place votes, 389 points) and Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby victor Honor A. P. (1 first-place vote, 345 points) in the rankings.

Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector (248 points) and Los Alamitos Derby victor Uncle Chuck (135) sit fourth and fifth, respectively, on the poll with the only newcomer to the top 10 being the aforementioned Ny Traffic, who jumps from 18th up to sixth with 124 points. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Ny Traffic rallied late and was beaten just a nose by Authentic in the Haskell, his third consecutive runner-up outing. Ny Traffic had previously finished second in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby and was also third in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes.

King Guillermo, winner of the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, ranks seventh with 113 points followed by Dr Post (103 points), the third-place finisher in the Haskell. Leading sophomore fillies Gamine (101 points) and Swiss Skydiver (96) complete the top 10.

There was little change in this week's NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll with champion distaffer Midnight Bisou racking up 23 first-place votes and 359 points to maintain the No. 1 spot for another week. Stephen Foster Stakes winner Tom's d'Etat (7 first-place votes, 323 points) is second with multiple Grade 1-winner Vekoma (2 first-place votes, 293 points) holding in third.

Zulu Alpha (156 points) moves up to fourth just ahead of Monomoy Girl, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2018, in fifth with 1 first-place vote and 146 points. By My Standards (135 points) and Mucho Gusto (131) rank sixth and seventh followed by Tiz the Law (2 first-place votes, 112 points), who continues his run as the lone sophomore in the Top Thoroughbred Poll.

Code of Honor (1 first-place vote, 90 points) and Maximum Security (3 first-place votes, 88 points) round out the top 10.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top Three-Year-Old Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders' Cup in November.

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‘Another Jump Forward’: Joseph Pleased With Ny Traffic’s Haskell Performance

Ny Traffic stalled at the top of the stretch before shifting into high gear in Saturday's Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., putting a late scare into front-running Authentic, only to fall an excruciating nose short of victory.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. expressed more satisfaction than disappointment in his Gulfstream Park-based Kentucky Derby (G1) prospect Sunday morning.

“I think I've lost a claimer and been more upset. For some reason, I didn't feel any disappointment, because I know where we're trying to get – to the Derby,” Joseph said. “I just thought it was another step forward again. I didn't want to see any regression. That was my biggest thing – not seeing any regression.”

Ny Traffic, who currently sits fourth in qualifying points for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, chased a loose-on-the-lead Authentic into the stretch, where he made a courageous-but-failed bid for victory.

“I was proud of him. At the quarter-pole, he was off the bridle and it looked like he wouldn't be able to get second. To see him, trying and keep coming and almost getting there…At the sixteenth pole, I thought he might win. It went from a low to a high,” Joseph said. “I didn't take the beat that bad, honestly. I was just happy how he ran and it was another jump forward, like we're going in the right way for the Derby.”

Ny Traffic, who followed up a dominating Jan. 11 allowance win at Gulfstream in his first start for Joseph with a third-place finish in the Risen Star (G2), a runner-up finish in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and a second-place finish in the Matt Winn (G3), is owned by John Fanelli, Cash is King LLC, LC Racing and Paul Braverman.

“I'm sending him to Saratoga and let him train there a little bit. I don't know if we'll ship early to Churchill or ship late. We haven't decided yet,” Joseph said.

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Derby Up Next for Authentic

Authentic (Into Mischief) exited his win in Saturday’s GI TVG.com Haskell S. at Monmouth Park in fine shape and will now train up to the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby, trainer Bob Baffert confirmed Sunday. The colt pulled away to a clear advantage in the stretch of the Haskell before holding on to a last-gasp victory over Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic).

“We’re going to work on him a little until then [the Derby],” Baffert said. “I was pretty proud of him. He ran well. I might have to put a little blinker on him because he went to idling on me. Turning for home, I kept waiting for him to turn it on, but he was doing some looking around and idling there. [Jockey] Mike [Smith] saw that other horse coming at the last minute.”

Still Baffert found plenty of positives from Authentic’s victory.

“He’s a late [May 5] foal,” Baffert said. “He’s maturing, but he’s a quirky little guy. I think that it’s impressive that he shipped, he got on a plane, he went all the way over there, and he handled it well. He didn’t get hot in the paddock. He handled it all well and that’s what you want to see. I’m happy with him. But he still has a lot of improving to do.”

Authentic left Monmouth Park and vanned to Lexington where he will spend a week before catching a flight back to Baffert’s Southern California base.

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said it was also on to the Derby for Ny Traffic, who shipped back to his New York base Sunday.

“That was a tough beat, but to be honest, it really didn’t hurt that much because I am just so proud of this horse,” Joseph said. “He ran an amazing race. At the quarter-pole, it looked like he was all done and the other horse was going to win easily. But he got going again and I’m very proud of him.”

Looking ahead to the Derby, Joseph said, “I thought we already had enough Derby points going in, so the important thing was to just get a good race into him. Now it’s about who is moving forward, not who has peaked or is going backward. Going forward is the most important thing right now and that’s why that tough beat can’t really hurt me. I was just really happy to see him take that major step forward. That’s the most important thing. Most definitely, there is a lot to be excited about with him. I just want him to stay sound and healthy and then we’re on to the Derby.”

While he has yet to win a stakes race, Ny Traffic was second in both the GIII Matt Winn S. and the GII Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby and was third in the GII Risen Star S.

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