Max K. O. should fare better going from Tapeta to Sunshine Turf
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – These are good times for Saffie Joseph Jr. The 35-year-old Barbados native can see his name atop the Gulfstream Park trainer standings most any time of year, even when the nation’s elite migrate to South Florida for the winter.
Joseph trains three of the 12 runners expected next Saturday for the Pegasus World Cup, one of the major highlights of a Championship meet that began Dec. 26. He’ll saddle O’Connor, Skippylongstocking, and White Abarrio in the $3 million Pegasus.
Before then, Joseph will be focusing on a more modest goal – getting Max K. O. to win the $75,000 Sunshine Turf, a 1 1/16-mile race that drew a field of seven older Florida-breds as the highlight of an 11-race Saturday card at Gulfstream.
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A 7-year-old who has earned $438,943 from 39 career starts, Max K. O. has won 10 times, but never in stakes company. He has made his last 12 starts for Joseph, who became the seventh trainer of the often-traded horse after claiming him for $25,000 on behalf of Ten Twenty Racing here in May 2021.
Max K. O. was fourth as the 3-2 favorite in the Sunshine Turf, which was moved to Tapeta, on this same weekend a year ago. Since then, he has won just one of seven starts, but that was in September in a rugged Kentucky Downs allowance with a 98 Beyer Speed Figure. After taking a short break, the son of J P’s Gusto was a dull fifth in his return here in a Dec. 15 allowance over Tapeta.
“He always travels well in his synthetic races, but when it’s time to go, there’s nothing there,” said Joseph, referring to an 0-for-4 record for Max K. O. over Tapeta. “We needed to get a race in him before this one. We gave it one more try, but I think we’re kind of done with the Tapeta.”
Since then, “he’s coming into this race in good order,” Joseph added. “He should run well. He’s probably best at a mile, but in this company, the little added distance should be well within his reach.”
For Joseph, repeating as the leading trainer at a 2022-23 championship meet that runs through April 2 marks another welcome challenge. While in recent years he has become the dominant leader during other meets that fill out the year-round Gulfstream calendar, last year was the first time since 2003 that anyone but Todd Pletcher has been the leading trainer during the high-profile winter meet. (Gulfstream does not count the 2018-19 meet led by the now-imprisoned Jorge Navarro.)
“That was a great honor,” said Joseph, who into Thursday action led Pletcher by a 10-8 count atop the current standings. “We’re working very hard to try to stay on top.”
Max K. O. will have Edgard Zayas aboard breaking from post 3. If he is to land a career first Saturday, he’ll probably have to outrun Me and Mr. C (post 1, Joel Rosario), a 6-year-old Khozan gelding coming off a 94 Beyer earned in a Tapeta allowance victory here in November for Mike Maker.
The balance of the Sunshine Turf field is Lure Him In, Braccio Di Ferro, Hot Blooded, Indy Lyon, and Roaring Forties.
First post Saturday is 12:10 p.m. Eastern, with the feature going as race 6 at 2:38.
A second Sunshine event scheduled for Saturday, the $75,000 Classic, was canceled for lack of entries.
Pegasus entries Sunday
Gulfstream officials on Wednesday released an updated list of likely starters with no substantive changes from the previous week for the seventh running of the Grade 1 Pegasus, the highlight of a blockbuster program that includes six other graded stakes. Entries for the entire program will be drawn Sunday.
In alphabetical order, these are the 12 expected for the Pegasus: Art Collector, Cyberknife, Defunded, Get Her Number, Last Samurai, O’Connor, Proxy, Simplification, Skippylongstocking, Stilleto Boy, Super Corinto, and White Abarrio.
Four more horses comprise an alternates list. In order of preference, they are Ridin With Biden, Hoist the Gold, Endorsed, and Barber Road.
Also, the confirmed lineup for the $1 million Pegasus Turf includes one major and one minor revision. Colonel Liam, the two-time defending champion, has been retired, and In Love has been withdrawn, allowing One More Bid and Good Governance to make the field of 12. The other starters are Atone, City Man, Decorated Invader, Hurricane Dream, Ivar, Lady Speightspeare, Master Piece, Speaking Scout, Who’s the Star, and Wit.
The $500,000 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf, being run for the second time, also is expected to get a full field of 12. Graded races on the undercard are the Grade 2 Inside Information, Grade 3 Fred Hooper, Grade 3 W.L. McKnight, and Grade 3 La Prevoyante.
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