CALIFORNIA, United States, CMC – Barbadian coach Saffie Joseph Jr was on cloud 9 over the weekend following Soul of an Angel’s seize of the US$1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Dash at Del Mar Saturday.
The milestone victory for the Florida-based coach gave him his first-ever Breeders’ Cup success and the five-year-old brown mare’s first grade 1 win in 41 begins.
Soul of an Angel, a 19-1 longshot ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, appeared an unlikely winner early, falling again to final within the area of 9, 12 lengths off the tempo within the seven-furlong contest.
Society and Nice dueled via early fractions of 21.94 and 44.22 as Soul of an Angel lagged far again.
On the far flip, with a wall of horses vying for the lead, Van Dyke took Soul of an Angel to the surface and hit the highest of the stretch six broad.
With clear working, Soul of an Angel wore down the leaders to prevail by a half-length in 1:21.59 over Society, who completed a nostril in entrance of Nice.
The 37-year-old Joseph was ecstatic about his first Breeders’ Cup win and described Soul of an Angel as a “hero.”
“It’s a particular second to get our first Breeders’ Cup win and for connections which were so loyal to me, C2 Racing, Agavo Racing. It’s simply particular for Drayden himself.
“The horse is the hero; we’re simply a part of the method. Benefit from the journey. All glory to God. I’m grateful and blessed simply to expertise this,” Joseph mentioned.
“It’s one thing that I grew up as a child, eager to win a Breeders’ Cup race and to get it accomplished it means so much.
“Most positively, it was a surreal second as a result of it’s a type of races the place you possibly can take pleasure in it. She was coming. She was coming. It labored out that she was coming. It was like, ‘Go together with it, go together with it,’ and he or she did. She acquired there. It’s only a particular second,” he added.
With the victory, Joseph mentioned he would more than likely enter her within the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on February 22, 2025.
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