Can Ny Traffic recover from 'brutal' Derby, enter Preakness?

Saffie Joseph Jr. was intent on producing his first Kentucky Derby starter when he left his native Barbados and arrived in South Florida with two horses in 2011. Now that he reached the nation’s premier race only to have Ny Traffic finish a luckless eighth, he must find a way to use that disappointing outcome as a springboard to future success.

One means to that end would be to have the New York-bred, which lost a shoe entering the first turn at Churchill Downs, make a far better showing if he is able to go on to the Oct. 3 Preakness at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course. Ny Traffic proved he can compete with Derby-winning Authentic when he ran a fast-closing second by a nose to him in a breathtaking Haskell finish on July 18 at Monmouth Park.

Repeating that effort might be problematic for Ny Traffic. He lost his right front shoe in the Derby and exited the mile-and-a-quarter contest much the worse for wear. He sustained several cuts, one to his left front foot that required a staple to close.

When majority owner John Fanelli was asked about the condition of a 3-year-old that had a string of encouraging finishes before the Derby, his answer was less than encouraging. “He’s doing OK,” Fanelli said. He and Joseph likely will decide on the Preakness early next week.

When Joseph, 33, was asked about their Derby misadventure, he responded, “Obviously, we wanted the horse to run better, most definitely. Once you get there, you’re thankful just to get there.”

The young trainer knows that horses such as Ny Traffic are not likely to get him there often. The New York-bred son of Cross Traffic was a $22,000 purchase by Fanelli at Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic Sale for Two-Year-Olds in Training after he failed to meet a reserve of $27,000.

“It’s amazing to get a horse like him,” Joseph said.

He has gradually built his Gulfstream Park operation into about 100 horses. He knows a Derby return will depend on his ability to continually attract ambitious, deep-pocketed owners willing to take dead aim at the Triple Crown races with expensive, well-bred stock.

“My goal is to get there all the time, every year if possible,” Joseph said. “You have to go to the yearling sales and spend money, the 2-year-old sales. We’re building on it. We’re not totally there yet.”

Fanelli has played a key role in helping Joseph to progress. He claimed Math Wizard for $25,000 early last year at Gulfstream Park. Joseph developed the horse into his first Grade 1 winner when Math Wizard delivered in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby last September at 31-1.

Now, some of the partners Fanelli took on with Math Wizard and Ny Traffic are entrusting Joseph with horses, among them Cash Is King, LC Racing, Paul Braverman and Team Hanley.

“Right now, we have owners who give us the possibility of having good horses,” said an appreciative Joseph.

He is a third-generation horseman. He was 22 when he became the youngest trainer in Barbados history to produce a Triple Crown champion. Areyoutalkintome accomplished the sweep in 2009.

As for Fanelli, he entered the Derby on a considerable roll. He had every reason to expect a strong finish since Ny Traffic had been so consistent, taking third in the Risen Star (G2) and second in the Louisiana Derby (G2) before he narrowly missed overtaking Authentic in the Haskell.

Fanelli, general manager of a car dealership in New Jersey, knows he had bucked long odds for an extended period with Math Wizard and Ny Traffic. Still, the Derby was hard to swallow.

“I haven’t had bad racing luck like that in a long time,” he said. “For it to happen in that race, it was just brutal.”

Fanelli added: “I always say good horses don’t need excuses, but he had so many excuses. You can’t go to the Indianapolis 500 and have three tires on your car for three-quarters of the race.”

Now, Fanelli and Joseph are racing against time to see if Ny Traffic can not only make the Preakness but give a better accounting of himself in the 1 3/16-mile classic, the final leg of this year’s re-configured Triple Crown.

“We want to make sure he heals properly, get the staple out and make sure there is no infection and then move forward with his training,” Fanelli said. “He’s fit enough. It’s not like he’s not fit. I don’t think he’s going to need much.”

While Joseph hopes to join those trainers who consistently participate in Triple Crown races, Fanelli is realistic about what he can accomplish with limited resources.

He said of his hopes of running Ny Traffic in the Preakness: “To me, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And if the horse is ready, why not?”