Gulfstream: Sunshine Meet Training Title Going Down to Wire

By David Joseph —-

Sunshine Meet Training Title Going Down to Wire

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – It will be a three-way photo finish in the race for the Sunshine Meet training title at Gulfstream Park heading into Saturday’s 11-race closing day program.

Saffie Joseph Jr. has won seven consecutive training titles at Gulfstream, including the prestigious Championship Meet each of the past two winters. He has starters in six races Saturday, trailing Victor Barboza Jr. in the standings, 32-31, after Barboza won Friday’s Race 5 with Capturethelaughter ($8.80).

Barboza has horses entered in five races Saturday. Jose D’Angelo, seeking his first training title in the U.S., won his 30th race of the meet Friday with Anatomy ($8.80) and has starters in five races Saturday.

With 58 wins, 20 more than runner-up Miguel Vasquez, Edgard Zayas has long since clinched the riding title at the Sunshine Meet, which began Sept. 1. Zayas had a string of 19 consecutive programs with at least one winner between Sept. 8 and Oct. 21.

First race post time Saturday is 12:10 p.m.

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $75,000. The wager, unsolved in four racing programs following a jackpot hit for $136,285.46 Nov. 11, spans Races 6-11.

Saturday’s sequence kicks off with a maiden special weight for 2-year-old Florida-breds sprinting five furlongs on the all-weather Tapeta. The 6-5 program favorite is Joseph-trained Breezero, second as the favorite in debut at the course and distance Oct. 7 behind next out winner Great Venezuela.

Race 8 is an open maiden special weight for 2-year-olds scheduled for one mile on the main track. Break Out will be racing first time for Joseph after running second in his first two starts, the first behind undefeated Hancock.

Lady Jae, second in the Las Cienegas (G3) in January at Santa Anita now trained by Barboza, and Face the Music, front-running winner of a five-furlong Tapeta sprint Oct. 28, top a field of 10 in Race 9, an optional claiming allowance for Florida-bred fillies and mares 3 and up going 5 ½ furlongs on the Tapeta.

The co-feature comes in Race 10, a 5 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance on the Tapeta for 3-year-olds and up. D’Angelo-trained Spy Hunter is making his second start off more than a year layoff after finishing a strong second in his return Oct. 29 against older horses. Loyal Louie has been third or better in 13 of 27 tries at the distance including a win over the course June 9.

Gulfstream’s 84-day Championship Meet, offering 68 stakes worth $14.875 million headlined by the $4.5 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series Jan. 27 and $1 million Florida Derby (G1) March 30, opens Friday, Dec. 1.

Notes: Jockey Edwin Gonzalez registered a hat trick Friday aboard Lightning Tones ($56.40) in Race 2, Capturethelaughter ($8.80) in Race 5 and Demar’s Legacy ($) in Race 7 … Jockey Edgar Perez and trainer Eniel Cordero teamed for a pair of wins with Sabian ($27.80) in Race 4 and Chaina ($21) in Race 9.

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