Joseph expects improved effort from Breezero

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After winning her maiden impressively in her 2-year-old finale, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. had high expectations when Breezero came back for her 3-year-old debut under allowance conditions earlier this winter. After turning in what he considered a subpar performance, Joseph is looking for a much improved effort when he sends Breezero out under similar conditions in Wednesday’s $59,000 feature at Gulfstream Park.

The race is for Florida-bred 3-year-old fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs over the Tapeta course.

Breezero finished a distant second to the more experienced Great Venezuela when launching her career Oct. 7. Great Venezuela flattered the race by returning to defeat allowance competition by 5 1/4 lengths as a 2-5 favorite three weeks later. There were no Great Venezuela’s in the lineup on Nov. 25 when Breezero cruised to a wire-to-wire six-length maiden win for which she received a 76 Beyer Speed Figure.

But Breezero failed to show that same speed when kicking off her 2024 campaign on Feb. 4, dropping several lengths off a lively early pace set by tepid favorite and ultimate winner Epona’s Hope in the run down the backstretch. Breezero edged within a couple of lengths of the leader after angling wide on the final turn before flattening out down the lane, ultimately finishing fourth while defeated nearly five lengths.

“Her last race was very disappointing, she didn’t show her speed and basically it was a bad run,” Joseph said. “She’s better than that. Quicker than that. I don’t think she necessarily has to be in front, but she definitely wants to be forwardly placed.

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“There is a lot of speed in this race Wednesday, but I believe she’s fast enough that she will be in front, and I expect to see her come back with a much better effort.”

Breezero, whose Beyer Figure for her maiden victory is the highest in Wednesday’s field, figures to receive an early challenge from, among others, True Spun, a popular wire-to-wire winner of her only previous start, which came against open maiden competition Jan. 20.

Other key contenders include On the Dot and Lucy’s Cookie, two of the three multiple winners in the lineup along with Bedrock Birdie. On the Dot was claimed from Joseph by her present connections for $16,000 out of a winning effort over the Tapeta on Feb. 21. Lucy’s Cookie showed a new dimension when rallying from off the pace to defeat mid-level starter-allowance company, also over the synthetic surface, in her most recent start.

Jayana and Belle’s Blue Bell complete the lineup.

‘Skippy’ bounces back

After having his four-time graded stakes winner Skippylongstocking get eased six furlongs into the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational, Joseph acknowledged he felt quite a bit of pressure when bringing him back for the first time off that race to defend his title in Saturday’s Grade 3 Challenger at Tampa Bay Downs.

Joseph can breathe a sigh of relief now that “Skippy” is a five-time graded winner following his popular 2 1/2-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile race.

“He recovered very quickly after overheating in the Pegasus, was back to normal the next day, and on his regular training routine a couple of days later,” Joseph recalled. “But obviously there was pressure bringing him back after all that in a race he won the previous year and which would decide what path we choose to take with him moving forward.

“I thought he performed as well as he could have, it was certainly as strong a performance as last year, and we’re happy to have him back on track.”

Joseph said the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap on April 20 would likely be next for Skippylongstocking.

The news wasn’t as good from the Joseph camp regarding his other top older runner, O’Connor, who took ill last month on a flight to California for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap.

“He’s still out there, he’s still sick, and at this point I really have no idea when we’re going to be able to bring him back home,” a very frustrated Joseph said when questioned about the status of the 7-year-old Chilean-bred.

O’Connor finished fifth in the Pegasus World Cup following consecutive, game victories in the Grade 2 Fayette and Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday to close his 2023 campaign.

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◗ Gulfstream Park management announced over the weekend that overnight purses for the upcoming spring-summer meeting will receive “a significant boost” in all categories, from open handicaps down to bottom-level claiming races with conditions, over the corresponding dates a year ago. They also said turf racing will continue “throughout the spring and summer” with live racing to be conducted four days a week in April, May, and June and three days a week from July through November.

◗ Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was handed a three-day suspension, from May 20-22, for “careless riding,” per steward Steve Dimauro, for his ride aboard Latte Lizzie in last Friday’s finale. Latte Lizzie was disqualified from second and placed sixth after impeding No Show entering the stretch of the maiden race that was ultimately won by the Mark Casse-trained first-time starter Gild the Lily.

Ortiz is currently atop the jockey standings with 98 victories and is 15 wins ahead of Paco Lopez, who was aboard No Show in Friday’s race.

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