HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida, CMC – Barbadian trainer Saffie Joseph Jr logged a single win to remain out front at Gulfstream Park. At the same time, Jamaican jockey Shaun Bridgmohan posted only his second win of the new season on the nine-race card here Friday.
The 36-year-old Joseph enjoyed his taste of success in the evening’s penultimate race worth US$31 000 when Irad Ortiz Jr carried favorite Go Big Green to a 1-¾ length score over the four-year-old fillies and mares.
Going a mile and sixteenth, Ortiz raced the six-year-old mare at the back of the field as stablemate Musical Romance outpaced 30-1 outsider Hits Different to dictate the pace with fractions of 23.70 seconds, 47.89 and one minute, 11.61.
Musical Romance cleared the final turn six lengths in front, but Ortiz swung Go Big Green wide and unleashed a storming stretch rally, getting past the leader under a hands-ride to hit the wire full of running.
Joseph, the defending champion, leads with 23 wins, already ten clear of Todd Pletcher, with Brian Lynch and Mark Casse both one behind on 12 apiece.
Bridgmohan, meanwhile, reached the winners’ enclosure in a five-furlong sprint in the $22 000 race three when he paired with a 5-2 chance Fight to edge out the four-year-olds and upward by a nose.
Longshots Joyful Surprise and Blue Lieutenant dueled around the turn to post the early splits with the five-year-old chestnut gelding Fight second to last in the seven-horse field.
Joyful Surprised held a short lead, passing the five-sixteenth pole, but Bridgmohan split horses mid-stretch to move into contention before outlasting On Jet Heir at the wire.
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