Barn Tour: Saffie Joseph updates on 10 graded winners

Saffie Joseph Jr. had a breakout year in 2024, and he is well on his way to another strong showing this year.

He got his first Breeders’ Cup victory last year with Soul of an Angel in the Filly & Mare Sprint. His 16 graded-stakes wins were the first time he broke double digits. And his $16.6 million in earnings topped his 2023 total by about $6 million.

“Overall it was our best year,” Joseph told Horse Racing Nation on Tuesday. “The momentum has carried through to this year, thank God. Just a lot of good horses. More and more better horses. And the clients are giving us that, and we're grateful for that.”

This year, he already has 11 graded-stakes wins, including two he picked up Monday.

Joseph, who has about 190 horses in training, provided an update on 10 of his graded-stakes winners plus a promising filly for HRN's Barn Tour series.

White Abarrio. Now 6 years old, the Race Day horse is 3-for-4 since returning to Joseph’s barn after finishing fifth last year in the Grade 1 Met Mile for Rick Dutrow. He’s been working at Saratoga, breezing five furlongs Thursday in 58.47 seconds ahead of a planned start in this year’s Met Mile next Saturday. “He had a really good, serious work last week. … He's going to have one more work this week, either Thursday, Friday, Saturday, depending on the weather.” If he does well in the Met Mile, then the Whitney (G1) would be next. “And then, does he go straight from the Whitney to the (Breeders’ Cup) Classic or run in between? I guess the ownership group will talk that over after that.”

Skippylongstocking. The 6-year-old son of Exaggerator won the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2) on Monday as the odds-on favorite and has alternated wins and third-place finishes in his four starts this year, also scoring in the Challenger (G3) in March. “We wanted to try 10 furlongs, we've never done it before. So we wanted to try it out once, and it worked out well. I think he might go to the Stephen Foster (G1), but we'll probably decide in like two weeks what we do. He's going to come to Saratoga, and then we'll decide. … I thought he had a very gutsy performance. We were proud of him. He's very consistent.”

Be Your Best. The 5-year-old mare by Muhaarar won the Gamely (G1) on Monday, leading gate to wire for her fourth win in her last five starts, all graded stakes. Two back, she was eight in the Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland. “That was huge to get a Grade 1 on her resume. She's a very talented filly. We thought at Keeneland the ground just went against us, there was so much rain. We just feel like she didn't like the track. Shipped to California, we knew we'd get firm ground out there, and I thought she ran big. She'll come to Saratoga also on Thursday, they fly back, both her and Skippy, and the Diana (G1) is a possibility if the ground is firm.”

Neoequos. The Neolithic colt was 13th in the Kentucky Derby after finishing third in the Fountain of Youth (G2) and Florida Derby (G1). Pointed to the Woody Stephens (G1), he breezed at Saratoga last week in his first work since the Derby. “The Derby, distance-wise, we were always suspect if he could get a mile and a quarter. But on the figures he had run close to Sovereignty. He had run close to all those horses on two occasions. We were kind of in the box, do we try it or do we not try it? And hey, it's one Derby. He gave it a try. And now we kind of get him back to a distance that we feel is best for him.”

Mystic Lake. The 4-year-old Mo Town filly won a black-type stakes at Lone Star on Monday after off-the-board finishes in the Derby City Distaff (G1) and Madison (G1). She had won three of four before that, including starting the year by scoring in the Inside Information (G2). “We kind of backtracked after her last race. That was a very tough race at Churchill. We went for an easier spot (Monday) at Lone Star. She won it. She'll come up to Saratoga soon.” Her next start could come in the Honorable Miss (G2) at Saratoga. “We wanted to win a race. We tried her twice in Grade 1 company. I thought at Keeneland, I really thought that was our opportunity to get one. We didn't. And then at Churchill, that race was crazy tough. I know she won on the slop (Monday), but I don't think she's fond of the slop. So that was kind of a race to get our confidence up and her confidence back too, so now we'll step back into graded stakes.”

Haulin Ice. The 4-year-old Coal Front filly won the Vagrancy (G3) on May 4 for her first graded win and her third victory in a row. “She's going to run back in a stakes, probably in the Musical Romance in Florida, give her a little prep there and then she probably will go to the Honorable Miss also. … Just a very gutsy, game filly. … I thought her race at Oaklawn two back was huge. And then she came to Aqueduct and duplicated it to win a graded stakes. So it was nice to get a graded stakes on her resume. And she just continues to strive.”

Movin’ On Up. The 4-year-old Accelerate filly was third last out in the Distaff Turf Mile (G2), her first loss in three starts this year. She’s entered in Saturday’s Mint Julep (G3) at Churchill Downs. “I thought she ran decent last time. Kind of got in a little trouble at a key moment and then stayed on well enough. So hopefully she can run back as good as last time and she'll have a very good shot.”

No Mo Candy. A 4-year-old filly by Uncle Mo, she had three wins and a second last year, including winning the Pebbles (G3), before being given a break. She also is entered in the Mint Julep. “We had her entered at Aqueduct (this spring). She got scratched in the paddock. She's in good order. We feel like, although she's coming off a layoff, we feel like she's got a couple more works in her and she's fit enough to run well in that race and to come back. … She got really good last year in a short period of time, and we're hoping she could come out better as a 4-year-old.”

Alexander Helios. The 5-year-old son of Cairo Prince was fifth last out in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2), and before that he won the Razorback (G3) in his stakes debut. He’s entered in Saturday’s Blame (G3) at Churchill. “Last time in the Oaklawn Handicap, he ran a little bit disappointing. Obviously the race came out fast, but we expected a bit more. Thought he got a really good trip and he just came to challenge at the top of the lane and just flattened. Back to Churchill this week with him. It's a very tough race, the Blame, so we'll see how he gets on this week.”

Dazzling Move. The 4-year-old Not This Time filly opened the year with a win in the Royal Delta (G3) then was fifth in the Madison and second to Candied last out in the Allaire DuPont Distaff. “We had won the Royal Delta with her, and then we cut her back in distance. She didn't run well. We stretched her back out the other day. Thought it was a decent effort behind Candied. There's a possibility she could run in the Ogden Phipps (G1).”

Indy Bay. Acquired this year by C2 Racing Stable, Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch, this 3-year-old Take Charge Indy filly broke her maiden for Joseph in March and then won an optional-claiming allowance on April 25. She’s pointed to the Jersey Girl Stakes at Saratoga next Sunday. “She obviously stepped up huge last time, ran a 90 Beyer. … It's a good transition point to step up in class, and we feel like she's up to it.”