HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida – Barbadian Saffie Joseph Jr logged a triple at Gulfstream Park on Sunday as the rising star continued to close in on yet another title at the south Florida oval.
Barbadian trainer Saffie Joseph.The 36-year-old claimed success in race five with R Rose’ All Day, in race six with another favorite Cool Memory before also finding the winners’ enclosure in race nine with favorite Shankar.
With the triple, Joseph moved his tally for the season to 60 wins from 203 starts, 11 clear of nearest challenger Jose Francisco D’Angelo.
Joseph also dominated the summer campaign last year with 68 wins and another success when the season concludes August 27, will mark his third successive capture of the mid-year title.
His opening two wins on the nine-race card came courtesy of his go-to rider Edgard Zayas, the Puerto Rican moving to 60 wins from 230 rides with the brace.
He opened the account for Joseph over a mile and 70 yards when he brought three-year-old by filly R Rose’ All Day with a late run to beat the three and four-year-old and upward fillies and mares by 1-¼ lengths.
Nine-to-one bet Siena Lady pulled the field through fractions of 24.71 seconds for the quarter and 48.48 for the half before Zayas swept R Rose’ All Day to the front nearing the eighth pole and held well.
Zayas followed up immediately when he paired with three-year-old bay gelding Cool Memory to trounce the three-year-old and upward maidens by three lengths in a front-running effort.
Going 6-½ furlongs, Cool Memory tussled with 3-1 choice Kohaku in the early going but held off the rival and pulled away late on.
Jockey Leonel Reyes delivered the third win for Joseph when he combined with Shankar to edge the three and four-year-olds and upward over a mile and 70 yards.
Reyes raced Shankar off the pace as 18-1 outsider Storm Brave and 6-1 bet Wow Wish dueled, before bringing the three-year-old bay gelding with a flying late run to win by a neck.
