HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida, CMC – Ace Barbadian trainer Saffie Joseph Jr landed his 16th winner for the year when Be My Sunshine won the U.S. $125 000 Tropical Park Oaks on Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the United States.
The three-year-old, grey filly got a brilliant ride from stable jockey Edgard Zayas, and she sprung a surprise over the 12-horse field three weeks after a win over her elders on the same turf, same course, and over the same distance of 1 700 meters.
The 29th running of the Oaks was the first of four $125 000 stakes races on an 11-race program, and Be My Sunshine completed the distance in one minute, 39.94 seconds over the firm, going for her third win in four tries over the Gulfstream turf, and first in a stakes race.
“She needed to step up and improve, and she did that,” Joseph said after the race. “What a ride by Edgard. He was able to save all the ground, got the slip at the head of the lane, and that was the difference between winning and losing – his ride.”
Back in against her age group for the first time since the summer, Be My Sunshine broke from Gate 11 and settled in fourth, racing between Dolce Sopresa to her inside and Startup Mentality, while 90-1 long-shot Speed Trap led through a quarter mile in 22.81 seconds and a half mile in 47.22 secs.
Speed Trap was still in front after six furlongs when Zayas gave Be My Sunshine her cue, ducking her down inside and splitting Speed Trap to her outside and Dolce Sopresa on the rail.
Be My Sunshine surged through the opening and jumped on late-running Breath Away and Alpha Bella to hold them off and win by a head.
“I ride [Zayas] a lot, I’m hard on him, and he won the race,” Joseph added. “If he doesn’t give her that ride, she probably doesn’t win. He had the horse, she did her job, too, but he was a big part of it.”
Breath Away edged Alpha Bella for second, Cairo Consort finished fourth, and 35-1 outsider Sun Bee took fifth.
“My only worry [was] I didn’t want to rush her up,” Zayas said. “I just wanted to get her out of there fast enough to cross over and get a good position. It worked out good. She helped me a lot the whole way. We found a hole in the rail, kicked in, and held on.”
Joseph was not so fortunate with his two entries in the U.S. $125 000 Grade 3 Sugar Swirl Stakes for three-year-old and upward fillies and mares contested over six furlongs on the dirt.
Intrepid Daydream, under Tyler Gaffalione, finished second, and Bluefield, under Zayas, was fifth in the seven-horse race, won a half-length clear by Spirit Wind, ridden by Jose Ortiz, in a time of 1 min, 10.58 secs.
and then 