Be My Sunshine could step up for Joseph

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. had originally planned on being an integral part of Thursday’s feature race at Saratoga with Ny Traffic, who he recently shipped from South Florida to participate in the John Morrissey Stakes. But when that race failed to fill due to a lack of entries, Thursday’s main event became a $149,500 allowance test for 3-year-old fillies carded at 1 1/8 miles on the turf, with Joseph’s Be My Sunshine likely to be among the key contenders if the race stays on the grass as scheduled.

The status of the turf could be in question for Thursday’s card in light of the cancellation of three grass races on Sunday due to concerns voiced by jockeys about the conditions of the turf courses along with heavy rains that fell throughout the day here Monday.

Be My Sunshine has run well in all three previous starts on grass, winning her career debut this winter at Gulfstream Park before finishing second in two subsequent allowance races, the most recent April 27 at Keeneland. Be My Sunshine was then idle more than two months before switching to a synthetic track to finish sixth after contesting the pace for the opening six furlongs of the Grade 3 Selene Stakes on July 1 at Woodbine.

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“We missed a lot of training with a lot of our horses in Kentucky and fitness-wise she definitely needed that race,” Joseph said. “I was a little surprised by how much early speed she showed that day, but that was probably because she was so fresh off the layoff. She’s had some solid works since she’s arrived at Saratoga, is back on track now, and should show well if the race stays on the grass. She’s trained very nicely on the dirt, although at this point I’m not sure if I’d run her or not if this race were to come off the turf.”

As is usually the case in turf events of this nature, trainer Chad Brown will have a major presence with grass specialists Idea Generation and Root Cause entered in the body of the race and main-track-only entrant Virtual Reality likely looming a heavy favorite if the headliner moves to the dirt.

Idea Generation is back with her own kind after finishing second behind older stablemate Chili Flag when making her 2023 debut last month at Belmont Park. Idea Generation, who finished fourth in the P.G. Johnson Stakes here at 2, earned a career-best 78 Beyer Speed Figure for that effort.

Root Cause has been a beaten favorite in two allowance tries since proving a popular and very easy maiden winner this winter at Gulfstream, although she did match her career-high 77 Beyer despite a wide trip when beaten just a length in her most recent appearance.

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Virtual Reality has started twice, both races on dirt, winning her debut in game fashion at Belmont before finishing second when stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time on opening day of the current session.

Trainers Graham Motion and Brendan Walsh also entered a pair each for the race, all of them European-bred fillies. Motion goes with Olkovshka and No Show Sammy Jo; Walsh counters with My Lion and Bolivie, none of whom have ever run on dirt.

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