Joseph locks up first Gulfstream training title
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – When Sonic Kitten rallied to win Friday’s first race, it clinched the Gulfstream Park winter meet title for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. It was his 54th win of the meet, 10 more than perennial leading trainer Todd Pletcher, who had runners in just nine races over the weekend.
Pletcher had won the last 18 titles. (Jorge Navarro won the 2018-19 meet, but had the title stripped after being indicted on drug charges.)
“It’s a milestone that means a lot,” Joseph said. “Todd, I grew up watching him. He’s the record-holder in purse earnings, he’s won this meet 17 or 18 years. He’s the one you look up to. If you told me four years ago this would happen, I would never think it could happen. I dream it every day, but you don’t think something could become reality until it happens. Thank God, it happened and it happened because of all the owners. They made it happen, and the team. Owners make trainers.”
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Joseph won Friday’s third race with Royal Kitten. Both Sonic Kitten and Royal Kitten are owned by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey, relatively new clients for Joseph.
Joseph was hoping to put an exclamation point on the meet with a victory Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby, where he was to send out White Abarrio, the Grade 3 Holy Bull winner.
Luis Saez locked up the Gulfstream Park jockey title long ago. He recorded his 119th win at the meet when he took Friday’s second race at Gulfstream, which put him with 33 more wins than runner-up Tyler Gaffalione.
It is Saez’s third Gulfstream title. He won the title at the 2016-17 and 2017-18 meets. He finished second the next two years before finishing fourth last year.
Saez’s agent, Kiaran McLaughlin, said the meet “exceeded expectations some.”
“He always does well at Gulfstream,” McLaughlin said. “Obviously, it helped with a few guys not being here at times.”
McLaughlin said Saez will ride the Keeneland spring meet, which begins Friday, and will move back to New York following the Kentucky Derby.