CMC – Barbadian Saffie Joseph Jr logged a double on Thursday’s nine-race card but remained locked in a tense battle with veteran Todd Pletcher for the trainer’s title at Gulfstream Park in Florida.
The 35-year-old Joseph, the defending champion in the current winter-spring meet, won race one with favourite R Rose’ All Day and race five with another favourite Spy Novel, to move to pull level with Pletcher on 28 wins.
Last year, Joseph ended Pletcher’s perennial dominance in the meet when he racked up 58 wins to notch his first winter-spring success.
He opened his account on Thursday over a mile and sixteenth when jockey Tyler Gafflione steered R Rose’ All Day to a narrow win over the three-year-old maiden fillies.
Nineteen-to-one longshot What’s Good carved out the early fractions, posting 24.32 seconds for the quarter and 49.43 for the half mile before Gaffalione brought his bay filly from a stalking position to engage the leader at the eighth pole and steadily edge ahead to win by a neck.
Joseph’s second win came over a mile and 70 yards, Irad Ortiz Jr combining with chestnut gelding Spy Novel to defeat the three-year-olds by 2-¼ lengths.
Spy Novel survived a bump leaving the gates to settle off the pace as 8-1 chance Right on Richie and 13-1 bet The Khozan One pulled the field through splits of 24.74 and 48.60.
Right on Richie gave way passing the eighth leaving Spy Novel to take control inside the final furlong and ease to the wire comfortably.
Meanwhile, Jamaican jockey Shaun Bridgmohan tasted success, pairing with 5-1 chance Not Even Then to collar the three-year-old maiden fillies by half-length going a mile and sixteenth.
The 35-year-old Joseph, the defending champion in the current winter-spring meet, won race one with favourite R Rose’ All Day and race five with another favourite Spy Novel, to move to pull level with Pletcher on 28 wins.
Last year, Joseph ended Pletcher’s perennial dominance in the meet when he racked up 58 wins to notch his first winter-spring success.
He opened his account on Thursday over a mile and sixteenth when jockey Tyler Gafflione steered R Rose’ All Day to a narrow win over the three-year-old maiden fillies.
Nineteen-to-one longshot What’s Good carved out the early fractions, posting 24.32 seconds for the quarter and 49.43 for the half mile before Gaffalione brought his bay filly from a stalking position to engage the leader at the eighth pole and steadily edge ahead to win by a neck.
Joseph’s second win came over a mile and 70 yards, Irad Ortiz Jr combining with chestnut gelding Spy Novel to defeat the three-year-olds by 2-¼ lengths.
Spy Novel survived a bump leaving the gates to settle off the pace as 8-1 chance Right on Richie and 13-1 bet The Khozan One pulled the field through splits of 24.74 and 48.60.
Right on Richie gave way passing the eighth leaving Spy Novel to take control inside the final furlong and ease to the wire comfortably.
Meanwhile, Jamaican jockey Shaun Bridgmohan tasted success, pairing with 5-1 chance Not Even Then to collar the three-year-old maiden fillies by half-length going a mile and sixteenth.
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