Barn Tour: See what's new in Saffie Joseph's stable

It’s been a good year for steadily improving trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. He had White Abarrio and Skippylongstocking on the Triple Crown trail, with the latter finishing third in the Belmont Stakes.

He’s on pace to come close to his career-best year last year, when he had 201 wins from 875 starts – a 23 percent clip. This year, he has 113 wins from 524 starts – 22 percent – but his earnings per start are up from last year, at $12,446. Overall earnings this year are $6.5 million, compared with $9.1 million for all of 2021.

Horse Racing Nation caught up with Joseph as he was Ubering to the airport in Albany, N.Y., to travel to Florida. He provided updates on his top horses and promising juveniles for the latest in our Barn Tour series.

Skippylongstocking. He made his first stakes start in the Wood Memorial (G3), finishing third. Then he was fifth in the Preakness and third in the Belmont. He came back on Aug. 6 with a win in the West Virginia Derby (G3). “It was nice to see him win one of those races, he's tried so hard in all his races,” Joseph said. “He's probably a notch below the top-level horses, 3-year-olds, and to see him be able to win one of them was gratifying for him, all the try he gives each time he runs. He's probably going to go to the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) next.”

White Abarrio. His wins in the Holy Bull (G3) and Florida Derby (G1) put him solidly on the road to the Kentucky Derby, where he finished 16th. Then he was second to Tawny Port in the Ohio Derby (G3) and seventh in the Haskell (G1). “I was disappointed last time at Monmouth. Maybe one race too many, with the traveling to the Derby, to Ohio and back. So maybe a lot of traveling got to him, we don't know. It's hard when they run like that. But he checked up well, he's had two breezes since. We're going to freshen him up a bit and he's going to work weekly and nothing's really set in stone of where he's going to go to next.” Joseph said the Pennsylvania Derby is a possibility, “but we're not going to decide yet until we get closer.”

Officiating. The 4-year-old is coming off a win in the Cornhusker Handicap (G3) after winning the Tom Fool (G3) earlier in the year. He’s entered in the Charles Town Classic (G2) on Friday. “Charles Town offers a different kind of configuration (three turns on the six-furlong track), but he's not a big colt, so he hopefully handles that kind of track. That was the first time stretching him out (to 1 1/8 miles) last time, he seemed to answer it quite convincingly. He's going to need to improve again, but I think he's eligible to.”

Kissalot. Joseph claimed this 3-year-old in June for Dailey Double Racing at Churchill Downs in June, and he then won a starter allowance at Saratoga last month. He was entered in Tuesday’s Smarty Jones (G3). “When we claimed him he trained really well, so we thought about stretching him out. Obviously, you don't know how they're going to run until they do it, but he seemed like he handled the stretchout well. (The Smarty Jones) is a much higher class, so it's going to give him a reality check of where we're at.” Kissalot finished second, 5 3/4 lengths behind Best Actor.

Ny Traffic. The 2020 Kentucky Derby contender (he finished eighth) is 2-for-5 this year, finishing fourth last out in the black-type John Morrissey Handicap at Saratoga. “He’s been out for a freshening. We're going to probably give him a few months off and then start him back up again.”

A. P.’s Secret. He followed his fourth-place finish in the Wood Memorial with a third-place effort in the Texas Derby and a fourth in the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga. Joseph said he’ll probably go next in the Oklahoma Derby (G3).

Ramsey Solution. Formerly trained by Wesley Ward, the 6-year-old’s 4 1/2-length win in a Gulfstream allowance in June was his first start in 11 months. He’s pointed toward the Tapit Stakes at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 1.

First-time starters

X Y Point. This Dialed In colt won his debut by 6 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream. “He's a nice 2-year-old,” Joseph said. “He'll probably run back in an allowance and then maybe target a stakes after that.”

Apocalypso. The 2-year-old son of Girvin also debuted at Gulfstream, digging in to win by a neck. “He's going to go to the second leg of the stallion stakes in Florida.”

Parents Pride. The 3-year-old daughter of Maclean’s Music had her first start in a Saratoga maiden special weight on Aug. 14. Joseph said she also will go to Kentucky Downs.

Looking for Hope. The 2-year-old daughter of Practical Joke has been entered for her first start on Friday in a maiden special weight at Gulfstream. “She's a nice filly, hopefully she could run to her work. She's trained really well. So hopefully she'll run like that on Friday.”