Saffie Joseph Jr. woke up Nov. 3 as something he had never been before: a Breeders’ Cup-winning trainer.
“It’s a great feeling; a lot easier to wake up,” he said outside his Del Mar barn Sunday morning. “I’m thankful and blessed.”
The milestone victory for the Florida-based trainer came with Soul of an Angel in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1).
It was the 5-year-old Atreides mare’s first grade 1 victory in 41 starts. Half of her six career victories have come since joining Joseph’s barn for owners C2 Racing Stable, Agave Racing Stable and Ken Reimer prior to the May 4 Ruffian Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack, with all three coming around one turn.
“She beat some really good fillies here—Society , Ways and Means —those are some quality horses,” Joseph said. “Her kick going one turn—she’s a really good horse going one turn against any type of horse.”
Joseph is willing to put his money where his mouth is as her next intended target is the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse Feb. 22.
“She’ll probably run once at Gulfstream and then we’re trying to work back from the Saudi Cup,” Joseph said. “We’d like to give her a chance there. Mile-and-an-eighth, one turn, you would think it’s tailor-made for her.”
Facing the boys would be nothing new to Soul of an Angel. In August 2023, she was fourth in the West Virginia Governor’s Stakes (G3) at Mountaineer Racetrack & Casino for trainer Gerald James while traveling 1 1/16 miles around two turns.
The competition will be much tougher in the Saudi Cup, but Joseph saw a lot of positive signs in her Filly and Mare Sprint victory to make it worth taking the shot.
“Her last kick yesterday, when I did the math, she ran the last five-eighths in 57 and change,” Joseph said. “You look at her splits, her internal fractions for the second quarter were 21 and change. Most horses run the fastest first quarter, she’s run internal fractions that are faster. It just shows how good she is.”
Next To Receive Break, Return to Marathons
The experiment of stepping Next outside of the marathon division did not go as his connections hoped, as he faded to last of 14 in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). However, trainer Doug Cowans was happy to see the 6-year-old gelding bounce out of the race healthy Sunday morning.
“He came out of the race in real good order,” Cowans said. “I noticed early on that the horse was working really hard to keep contact with them. When they went a 44 half (mile), I think that really cooked the horse. He’s more used to a little slower pace and that was probably his undoing.”
Trainer Doug Cowans gives Next a peppermint the morning after finishing 14th in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar
Next himself seemed to have a little damaged spirits after seven consecutive victories in which he never saw an opponent in the stretch; although Cowans expects that to pass once he gets home to Turfway Park. The Michael Foster-owned son of Not This Time will stay at Turfway for a few days for Cowans to analyze how he exited the effort before getting his winter break at a farm in Ohio.
One of the top marathoners of the century, Next will be back to his old tricks next season with his customary four-race plan already penciled in: the 1 1/2-mile Isaac Murphy Marathon Stakes at Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby (G1) week, the 1 3/8-mile Brooklyn Stakes (G2) and 1 3/4-mile Birdstone Stakes over the summer in New York, and the 1 1/2-mile Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx Racing on Pennsylvania Derby (G1) day in September.
“Move on to the next one and put this behind us,” Cowans said of what’s next for Next. “Draw a line through this because this wasn’t his game.”
Despite the finish, Cowans was grateful for the opportunity to participate in his first Breeders’ Cup with a special horse.
“It was a great experience. Not just for me, but the whole team,” he said. “The main thing we need to do is try to take something away from the race for the horse and for us if we ever have another horse to come back; things we might do differently to make it a better outcome.”
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