A year after watching a horse transferred from him, White Abarrio , win the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) for trainer Rick Dutrow Jr., Saffie Joseph Jr. now knows what it is like to experience Breeders’ Cup success.
The 37-year-old Florida-based trainer picked up his first victory at the Breeders’ Cup Nov. 2 when his late runner Soul of an Angel rallied to edge Society and Pleasant by a half-length in the $910,000 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) Nov. 2 at Del Mar. She was her trainer’s fourth career Breeders’ Cup starter.
Meaningfully for Joseph, who choked up with emotion following the race and in the postrace press conference, the victory came for some of the same connections as those behind White Abarrio, who was returned to his care this year and has been breezing in recent weeks at Gulfstream Park. Clint and Mark Cornett’s C2 Racing Stable is a part owner in White Abarrio, as they are in Soul of an Angel, who they campaign with Agave Racing Stable and Ken Reimer.
White Abarrio had been transferred to Dutrow over eligibility concerns for Joseph in Kentucky and New York after two of Joseph’s trainees collapsed and died mysteriously during Kentucky Derby (G1) week at Churchill Downs in 2023. An investigation that took a couple of months cleared Joseph of any rule violations.
“I think what we went through last year, the biggest thing they ever did for me was giving me a way of (getting White Abarrio) back. … I think that helped me heal a bit, to give me that confidence,” he said during the press conference, wiping away tears.
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Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. gets his first Breeders’ Cup victory with Soul Of An Angel in the Filly & Mare Sprint
He was not the only one sky high Saturday—so was Drayden Van Dyke, a former leading rider at Del Mar who shifted his base to Florida and rides for Joseph, a move meant to kickstart a lull in his opportunities in California.
Soul of an Angel seemed an unlikely winner early in the Filly & Mare Sprint, falling back to last in the field of nine,12 lengths off the pace in the seven-furlong contest.
“I just had to stay after her and believe in her,” said Van Dyke, who notched his second Breeders’ Cup win after taking the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) with Stormy Liberal in 2018.
Fast fractions of :21.94 and :44.22 set by Society and Pleasant gave her the setup she needed. She pulled within 6 1/4 lengths of the leaders after a half-mile, fanned out wide into the stretch, and reeled in the leaders and other fatigued pace-chasing rivals.
Runner-up Society and third-place Pleasant were narrowly in front of fourth-place Scylla and fifth-place Ways and Means .
Soul of an Angel ran seven furlongs on a fast track in 1:21.59, paying $41.60 to win.
Jockey Drayden Van Dyke accepts congratulations aboard Soul of a Angel
Having also won the Princess Rooney Invitational Stakes (G3) at seven furlongs in September, Soul of an Angel will likely garner support from voters for an Eclipse Award. Fourteen of the previous 17 Filly & Mare Sprint winners were later honored as North America’s champion female sprinter.
A 5-year-old daughter of Atreides , Soul of an Angel was a private purchase by her connections in March. She then joined Joseph’s barn.
Bred in Kentucky by Westbrook Stables, Soul of an Angel is out of Factor One , a daughter of The Factor . The winner is entered in Fasig-Tipton’s The November Sale Nov. 4, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency as Hip 191.
Atreides stood this past breeding season for $2,000 at River Oaks Farms in Oklahoma. Soul of an Angel is her sire’s top earner with a bankroll of $1,192,675, accomplished with a 6-7-5 record in 41 starts.
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