Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr has five mounts in action this weekend, as the $75,000 Sunshine Classic and the Sunshine Filly & Mare Turf both come off Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida, USA.
The 37-year-old Barbadian has entered the trio of Souper Watson, racing first off a $25,000 claim December 6th at Woodbine, and three-time winners One Sharp Cookie and Holiday Pay. They will be aiming to upset C2 Racing Stable, Double B Racing Stables, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, and Mach 1 Stables’ Grade 3-placed multiple stakes winner Lure Him In, the defending champion, who is chasing an elusive ninth career victory.
My Purple Haze Stables’ five-year-old homebred Khozeiress also returns from last year’s Sunshine Classic where he encountered trouble both out of the gate and on the first turn and wound up sixth. It was the first time finishing worse than third in nine career tries at Gulfstream, including four wins.
The 22nd running of the 1 1/16-mile Sunshine Classic for Florida-bred four-yearolds and up is one of the headline races among 11 on the programme that begins at 12:20 p.m.
Secret Chat and Awesome Train, both riding two-race win streaks; Marion County winner Big Martini; Power Humor, Shaq Diesel, Belts ‘n Brooks and Lightning Tones complete the field.
In the 23rd renewal of the Sunshine Filly & Mare Turf for Florida-bred fillies and mares four and older, scheduled for one mile on the grass, Joseph Jr is represented by the pair of Love Mami Love and Beach Ready.
Co-owned by Ten Twenty Racing and Joseph, Love Mami Love has registered backto-back half-length victories going one mile on the turf at Gulfstream, the most recent coming December 15th.
“She’s a filly that needs to really be covered up,” Joseph said. “She needs to be covered up the whole way. When she does find daylight she doesn’t find much, so she needs to get the right trip and both of her last two races she got really good trips from the riders. Hopefully she can work out a similar trip this time.”
Love Mami Love went winless with five seconds and a third in 2023 before going 4-for- 7 with two thirds last year.
“She’s always picked up cheques but found it hard to find the winner’s circle, and recently she’s gotten better at that,” Joseph said. “Her numbers are improving so that’s why we’re giving her a chance. She looks like she should be competitive in this spot again.”
Bart Voloshin’s Beach Ready is a six-time winner from 20 starts, three of those coming since being claimed by Joseph for $16,000 in September 2023. The five-year-old Treasure Beach mare has earned five of her victories on the Tapeta.
“We’re just giving her a try,” Joseph said.
“A mile is probably better for her. The racedidn’t look like it was coming up overly tough and we figured she deserved the chance to see if she can get it done.”
Great Venezuela puts a four-race win streak on the line as she goes after her first career stakes victory. Grade 2 winner
Maryquitecontrary is entered for her first start on grass.
Ashima, a winner of two straight, Princess Bettina, Parallel, and My Sunny Valentine are also entered. (TF)
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