Saffie Joseph Jr. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Gulfstream: Trio Of New Winners Top Wide-Open Cash Run

Three horses coming off sharp maiden wins and Jumeriah, already stakes-placed at the distance, help comprise a wide-open field of seven for Saturday's $100,000 Cash Run at Gulfstream Park.

The seventh running of the Cash Run for fillies is among five stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds worth $550,000 in purses on a New Year's Day holiday program headlined by the $150,000 Mucho Macho Man.

Post time for the first of 11 races is noon.

The Cash Run is the first of Gulfstream's stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the road to the $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) April 2, followed by the $100,000 Forward Gal (G3) Feb. 5 and the $200,000 Davona Dale (G2) March 5.

Surreal Fantasy, Kathleen O. and Fast and Flirty all enter the Cash Run off victories. Elena Racing and Gelfenstein Farm's Surreal Fantasy rebounded after running seventh in her Nov. 6 debut sprinting seven furlongs at Gulfstream to romp by 13 lengths in front-running fashion going a mile and 40 yards Dec. 4 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“First time out, very disappointed. We thought she was going to run a nice race. Then we tried to take an easy approach and sent her to Tampa to get some confidence going two turns, and she won quite well,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “I would have preferred to keep her at two turns, but there's nothing really around at the moment so we'll give her a shot and see how she performs this weekend.”

Joseph said he wasn't surprised at the dramatic improvement in Surreal Fantasy, a bay daughter of 2016 Wood Memorial (G1) winner Outwork and granddaughter of 1991 King's Bishop (G1) winner Forestry.

“We were kind of hoping for something like that first time out and I don't know why she ran so bad. We just couldn't come up with a reason,” Joseph said. “She trained so well before she ran, that's why we gave her one more shot. We were thinking maybe she might end up being turf if she trained that well and ran that poorly on the dirt.

“But, second time out she ran like how she trained. I don't know if it was class or two turns or what, but that's what we saw in the mornings and she duplicated that second time out,” he added. “We hope if she can run accordingly she can have a very good chance this week.”

Luis Saez is named to ride Surreal Fantasy from Post 3.

Joseph sent out a pair of winners Wednesday at Gulfstream to reach the 200 mark for the first time in a season that included nine graded-stakes victories led by Drain the Clock in the Woody Stephens (G1) and Claiborne Farm Swale (G3) and Mischevious Alex in the Carter (G1) and Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3). The Championship Meet's leading trainer with 17 wins, he also surpassed $9 million in purse earnings, another career high.

“We've had a great year,” Joseph said. “You depend on the owners and your team. The owners and your team, that's basically what makes a trainer. There's no two ways around it. You need the owners to supply the horses and you need the team to take care of them to the highest of standards. Thankfully we have both and, hopefully, we can keep continuing.”

Winngate Stables' Kathleen O. raced once at 2 for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. The Upstart filly rallied from last, trailing by as many as 10 lengths after a half-mile, to edge Mischievous Diane by a head in a seven-furlong maiden special weight Nov. 12 at Aqueduct. Both the runner-up and Greatitude, who ran third, came back to win their next start, the latter by 2 ¾ lengths Dec. 19 at Gulfstream.

Like Surreal Fantasy, Bradley Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Tim Cambron, Anna Cambron and Team Hanley's Fast and Flirty will be making her third start in the Cash Run. By Into Mischief, Fast and Flirty ran second over a sloppy Keeneland surface Oct. 15 in debut, then stalked and pounced to a popular 1 ¾-length maiden special weight score going a mile Nov. 14 at Churchill Downs.

“She's a nice filly. She's run a couple of nice races. She won her maiden at Churchill the last time and ran well so the mile at Gulfstream should be right up her street,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “I think she's going to improve, too. I don't think we've seen the best of her yet. If she improves a little bit it should give her a big chance.”

Tyler Gaffalione, aboard for the maiden win, gets a return call from Post 6.

“She was kind of late coming into us so it was that reason more than any that she was a little late getting to racetrack because she didn't really miss a whole lot once she got to us,” Walsh said. “She's worked good and she's improved all the way along. Hopefully she can improve a little bit more here and be able to run with these better fillies.”

Performance Horse's Jumeirah was beaten a neck as the favorite when second in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance Dec. 9 at Gulfstream to undefeated Joseph trainee Amazing Trip. Junior Alvarado, who was up that day, will ride back from Post 5.

“She's doing really good. I thought she put up a good performance in the allowance race. She linked up with a nice filly of Saffie's that went on to the lead,” trainer Carlos David said. “It's all speed at Gulfstream Park, so the plan with Junior was to place her forwardly. She was the favorite that day and she gave us a good race, the first time with blinkers. She likes Gulfstream Park. It's her second time here at Gulfstream, so I think everything points toward a good performance again.”

Though stretching out off back-to-back sprints, Jumeriah has raced twice previously at a mile. She finished second by three lengths to Runup in the Sept. 6 Sorority at Monmouth Park and was a distant eighth to undefeated multiple Grade 1 winner Echo Zulu in the Oct. 3 Frizette (G3) at Belmont Park.

“It was a big day in New York and there was a lot of people. She just didn't handle it well. She got really hot and she washed out before the race. Junior rode her that time and he just told me that she washed out and left everything behind the gate,” David said. “She's run going a mile before so it's not going to be new for her. I think the one turn will favor her, so hopefully she'll get a win.”

Queen Camilla, fourth by 1 ¼ lengths last out in the Oct. 23 Juvenile Fillies Sprint at Gulfstream; Freccia d'Argento and Mi Negrita complete the field.

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Gulfstream: Of A Revolution Aims To Stay Undefeated In Limehouse

Bassett Stables' Of a Revolution, undefeated through two starts, looks to keep his perfect record intact as he steps up to stakes company for the first time in Saturday's $100,000 Limehouse at Gulfstream Park.

The fifth running of the Limehouse and Glitter Woman for fillies, both sprinting six furlongs, are among five stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds worth $550,000 in purses on a New Year's Day holiday program headlined by the $150,000 Mucho Macho Man.

Post time for the first of 11 races is noon.

Championship Meet-leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. captured the 2021 Limehouse with Drain the Clock. Drain the Clock would go on to wins in the Claiborne Farm Swale (G3), Bay Shore (G3) and Woody Stephens (G1) and run second in the Fountain of Youth (G2) and Amsterdam (G2).

Like Drain the Clock, Of a Revolution has also begun his career with two straight wins before taking on stakes competition.

“This horse, from Day 1, has always showed a lot of talent. We call him Drain the Clock Jr.,” Joseph said. “He obviously has a long way to go to reach that standard but he's a nice horse. The first time out he won. The second time out he came off a layoff and beat a quality field. I thought he did it the right way. He missed the break and was still able to overcome that. We feel like he's very talented and he goes over there with a very big chance.”

Of a Revolution, by Maclean's Music, was favored in his May 29 debut at Gulfstream in a five-furlong maiden special weight, winning by a half-length over Cajun's Magic, who would come back to capture the FTBOA Florida Sire Dr. Fager and run second in the Affirmed and In Reality divisions.

“He was actually supposed to be an early kind of 2-year-old and we were going to take him to Saratoga after he won, and he got sick,” Joseph said. “So, we kind of got backed up on him and that's why it took us longer. We got him back and then we had to just wait around for a race.”

The wait ended Nov. 13, also at Gulfstream in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance where Of a Revolution was bumped and pinched back at the start but managed to work his way to the lead after a half-mile and sprinted clear to a 2 ½-length triumph over Summery, who also returns in the Limehouse. Third-place finisher Simplification is entered in the Mucho Macho Man.

“When he broke, I thought all chance was gone and he was still able to overcome it. He made a good move and he was able to sustain the move. I think he's a quality horse,” Joseph said. “We feel like he's going to become a good sprinter. He's all speed.”

Out of the Salt Lake mare Hot Spell, Of a Revolution is a half-brother to Hopkins, who ran second by a half-length to Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Shaaz in a Dec. 26 maiden special weight at Santa Anita. Hopkins earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 104 in defeat.

“The family is getting good, it looks like,” Joseph said. “We feel that he's very talented.”

Tyler Gaffalione has the assignment on Of a Revolution from Post 3 in a field of seven.

Lea Farms' Lightening Larry will be making his seventh career start and third straight in a stakes after finishing second to Make It Big in the seven-furlong Juvenile Sprint against fellow Florida-breds Oct. 30 at Gulfstream and Cattin the six-furlong Inaugural Dec. 4 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Make It Big, Of a Revolution's Joseph-trained stablemate, improved to 3-0 with a win in the Springboard Mile Dec. 17 at Remington Park, while Cattin ran fourth in the Affirmed and third in the In Reality.

“We love him. Last time in the stake at Tampa we just caught a little bit of a bad break there where we let the horse that ended up winning the race come up in between us and we should have moved down to the rail,” trainer Jeff Engler said. “But, live and learn. [Jockey] Romero [Maragh] even said he made a little bit of a mistake there but he still dug in, and [Cattin] is a nice horse, too. We just need a good break and a good trip and I think he's going to be right there again.”

Engler said Lightening Larry, first or second five times with two wins, had an excuse in his lone poor effort when he ran ninth after chasing the pace in the seven-furlong Affirmed Aug. 28. He came back six weeks later to take an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream over the filly Muted, who returned with an 8 ½-length score against her own kind Nov. 11.

“The one race where he didn't finish on the board honestly wasn't his fault. He had a little stall accident where he had to get some stitches in his hind quarter, so he had missed like three weeks of training,” Engler said. “We kind of ran him in there before he was really ready so that was really a trainer fault. Now that he's back in regular training and on his regular breeze schedule he's always right there. He's just very aggressive and he loves the competition.”

Maragh gets the return call from Post 5.

“He's a nice horse and he loves to train. He's just a nice colt that loves his job. He's doing great. He's on go, and we're looking for good things,” Engler said. “He's grown up a lot and he's getting bigger and taller and I think in his 3-year-old year he'll really blossom.”

Monarch Stables, Inc.'s Last Leaf will take on the boys in her seasonal debut. In her only previous try against males, the Ron Spatz trainee won the five-furlong Hollywood Beach Sept. 25 over the Gulfstream turf. That effort came on the heels of a 10 ¾-length optional claiming allowance triumph 21 days earlier on a sloppy main track.

“I loved her turf sprint. She had a good turf sprint and I think she'll love that if we can get some more opportunities to do that. And, she loved the slop, too,” Spatz said. “She's doing good. She had a good work coming up to this, so all systems go.”

Last Leaf was third, beaten a length as the favorite, in a 5 ½-furlong sprint over Gulfstream's Tapeta surface Oct. 31. She was back on grass and stretched out to a mile for her most recent start, running fifth after being fractious in the gate of the Dec. 3 Wait a While.

“I didn't think she had a big fondness for the Tapeta when she ran, and she ran good. Then it was either go to Tampa to go in a six-furlong race or try her two turns,” Spatz said. “We decided to stay here and try the two turns and it didn't work out. She's a sprinter right now, and that's what we'll do. She's coming up good for it.”

Last Leaf drew the rail under Junior Alvarado and will carry low weight of 117 pounds as the lone filly in the field.

Also entered are Carl Hess Jr.'s Concrete Glory, who had a three-race win streak snapped when eighth in the Inaugural; O Captain, a 9 ¼-length maiden special weight winner in his lone start Aug. 14 at Gulfstream for trainer Gustavo Delgado; and Calumet Farm's Bueno Bueno, a winner of two straight at Ellis Park.

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Strategy Queen Chasing Third Straight Win In Ginger Brew

All In Line Stables' homebred filly Strategy Queen, coming off back-to-back victories, will get the chance to make it three straight as she steps up and stretches out on a new surface for her stakes debut in Saturday's $100,000 Ginger Brew at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Championship Meet leader Saffie Joseph Jr., Strategy Queen has yet to race on turf or beyond 5 ½ furlongs through four races. Her first two starts came on dirt, finishing fourth following a slow start in her Aug. 13 unveiling then running second after a prolonged duel with Rapturous in a Sept. 11 maiden claimer.

Strategy Queen has put together her win streak over Gulfstream's Tapeta surface, graduating by three-quarters of a length in a Sept. 30 maiden special weight before returning for a nose triumph over winners in a Nov. 19 optional claiming allowance. All of her races have come at Gulfstream.

“She's won two in a row and she's doing good. The mile is going to be a question mark, obviously, and the turf. I think she'll handle the turf, but the question will be the distance. Can she stay the mile?” Joseph said. “She's obviously never done it. She acts like she could, but until they do you never know for sure.

“She's going from two sprints to a mile. She's a filly that's kind of leggy and built long, so she looks more like a miler than a sprinter,” he added. “Sometimes they trick you into thinking they want further and they don't really want it. We feel like she can get the mile. It's a step up in class, too, but we feel like it's worth a try.”

Joseph also entered Vesgo Racing Stable homebred Li Li Bear off a maiden special weight victory Oct. 28 at Gulfstream in her first start for the trainer and first on Tapeta. Prior to that she raced twice on the dirt at Saratoga, running fourth to Echo Zulu July 15 and sixth behind Jester Calls Nojoy Sept. 5. Echo Zulu went on to win the Hopeful (G1), Frizette (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to compete a perfect season, while Jester Calls Nojoy was sixth in the Frizette and most recently second in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies Dec. 18 at Laurel Park.

“She ran two races in Saratoga with [trainer] Phil Gleaves and then we got her,” Joseph said. “Her first race was very good when she ran into Echo Zulu. We put her on the Tapeta because we had no grass then and she won. She acts like she'll stretch out, also. She'll be stretching out for the first time but she acts like she will. She's a filly that we think a lot of her.”

Strategy Queen will be ridden by Junior Alvarado from the rail in a field of seven, while Li Li Bear will have the services of Tyler Gaffalione from Post 2.

Teneri Farm and J Stables' Opalina returns to South Florida following a road trip to Kentucky where the daughter of Optimizer closed to be fifth, beaten 1 ½ lengths, after a troubled start in the 1 1/16-mile Jessamine (G2) Oct. 13 over a Keeneland turf rated good. She raced three times prior at Gulfstream for trainer Roderick Rodriguez, running second twice before breaking her maiden against state-breds on yielding ground Sept. 17.

Soldi Stable and Ohana Racing's Ocean Safari is also a maiden special weight winner over the Gulfstream turf. Her victory came sprinting 7 ½ furlongs over good ground Sept. 10 and was followed by a third-place finish in a one-mile, 70-yard optional claiming allowance on the Tapeta Oct. 17, her most recent effort.

Also entered are Alittleloveandluck, exiting a Nov. 12 maiden special weight triumph on the Tapeta at Gulfstream; Louella Street, a Sept. 16 winner over Laurel Park's world-class turf course who finished off the board in the Nov. 28 Tepin at Aqueduct; and maiden Lady Puchi.

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Trainer Saffie Joseph Planning Make It Big’s Next Start

Red Oak Stable's Make It Big gave trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. good reason to start making plans along the Road to the Kentucky Derby when he captured the $400,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., Friday night.

The Gulfstream Park-based 2-year-old son of Neolithic earned 10 qualifying points for this year's first leg of the Triple Crown with a thoroughly professional half-length victory over Osbourne as the 6-5 favorite.

“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, who didn't venture to Oklahoma for the Springboard Mile. “He sat in the pocket, made a move down the backside, and was gutsy enough to hold off Osbourne.”

The Florida-bred colt, who was purchased at the OBS April sale for $120,000, sat off a contested pace, made a three-wide sweep on the far turn, and prevailed over Osbourne following a stretch-long battle to remain undefeated in three starts.

“The [Feb 5] Holy Bull might come a little quick, but everything is still in play. Maybe the Fountain of Youth,” Joseph said. “We'll talk it over with the ownership group and Rick Sacco, the stable manager. He was the one that recommended after he won last time that we should try this race [Springboard Mile]. It turned out a perfect choice of race.”

Distance wouldn't seem to be a concern for the long-striding colt.

“You would think the more distance the better. That's how he trained. Up until six weeks before he made his debut, he kind of seemed he'd go long, long, long,” Joseph said. “He was lacking that early speed. When we put blinkers on him, they gave him that dynamic, showing some speed. We already knew he had the stamina. He's really turned around.”

Make It Big debuted with a front-running 8 ½-length victory at seven furlongs Oct. 8 before winning the seven-furlong Juvenile for Florida-breds by 2 ¼ lengths following an awkward break Oct. 30.

“He led the first time. The second time, he sat off [the pace]. This time, he sat between horses. He keeps getting better and better, slowly but surely. He's going in the right direction, that's what you want,” Joseph said.

Jose Ortiz rode Make It Big Friday night, filling in for Edgard Zayas, who recently underwent shoulder surgery.

“I want to give credit to Edgard. He was going there to ride him, but then the shoulder surgery came up. Edgard was going to have surgery on a Monday, and he came out to work him on Sunday,” Joseph said. “Edgard showed the class and work ethic that he has. Full credit to him. He's a big part of the team and he's a big part of this horse's success.”

Joseph also trains Triple Crown prospect White Abarrio, who captured his first two races impressively before finishing third in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 27.

“He's doing well. We gave him a little freshening. He's galloping, and he's going to have his first breeze back [Sunday],” Joseph said. “He's most likely going in the Holy Bull.”

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