Renaisance Frolic heads Joseph-trained 1-2-3 in Mr. Steele Stakes
Renaisance Frolic surged to a narrow victory Saturday when leading a 1-2-3 sweep for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in the $75,000 Mr. Steele at Gulfstream Park in South Florida.
Rated comfortably off the early pace by Edgard Zayas, Renaisance Frolic tipped outside in the final turn of the 1 1/16-mile turf race before nosing out his Joseph stablemate Max K. O. with a rally down the center of the course. The winner paid $6.20 as favorite in a field of seven older horses after finishing in 1:40.87 over firm going.
Max K. O. had made the lead in deep stretch before being edged by his stablemate, while the third Joseph starter, Noble Indy, was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third after making all the running.
Renaisance Frolic, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Paynter, is owned by Sir David Seale. He now has won 9 of 36 starts overall, including a 3-for-12 record since Seale bought him and Joseph assumed his training in spring 2020. His career earnings stand at $463,396.
The sweep of the top three spots by Joseph is a microcosm of a spring-summer meet where the 33-year-old Barbados native has been absolutely dominant. Joseph started the day with 49 wins at a meet that began April 1, nearly triple the number of wins by his closest pursuers atop the local standings.
The $2 exacta (3-9) paid $28.60, the $1 trifecta (3-9-4) returned $70.80, and the 10-cent superfecta (3-9-4-6) was worth $36.55.