Saffie Joseph Jr. Trainee Wins in the Face of Adversity HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable LLC’s White Abarrio punched his ticket for Louisville, Ky. Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where the gray son of Race Day took the lead in the stretch and held off Charge It to capture the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa. “It means the world to me. The Florida Derby is up there with the Kentucky Derby because we’re based at Gulfstream,” emotional trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.

Florida Derby Saturday, April 2, 2022 Hallandale Beach, Florida, USA Gulfstream Park Saffie Joseph Jr. Tyler Gaffalione Mark Cornett Clint Cornett Media Conference ACACIA COURTNEY: Thanks for joining us. We're here at the press conference following the Florida Derby. We have winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione, winning trainer Saffie Joseph, and winning co-owners of C2 Racing Mark Cornett and Clint Cornett. Thank you so much for joining us here today.

Winning Time: 1:50.64 Winning Margins: 1 ¼, 1, 3 ½ Winning Payoff: $7.80 Order of finish: White Abarrio, Charge It, Simplification, Pappacap, O Captain, Steal Sunshine, Strike Hard, Cajun’s Magic, King of Truth, Clapton, Classic Causeway Betting favorite: Simplification (2-1) TRAINER QUOTES Saffie Joseph Jr. (White Abarrio, 1st): “It means the world to me. The Florida Derby is up there with the Kentucky Derby because we’re based at Gulfstream. I’m just thankful and blessed that we have this opportunity. It’s amazing.”

Favorite Main Event Leads the Way in the $100,000 Cutler Bay Weyburn Relishes Return to Sprinting in $100,000 Sir Shackleton My Philly Twirl Holds on in $100,000 Sanibel Island HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Showing no signs of rust from a 286-day layoff, Crystal Cliffs rolled from well back in the field of eight to easily win the $100,000 Sand Springs presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance in 2¾ lengths Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Fourth Consecutive Win, Third Stakes, for 3-Year-Old Filly HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Winngate Stables’ multiple stakes-winning filly Kathleen O. kept her perfect record intact and further established herself as one of the leaders of her division with a powerful 2 ¾-length triumph over Goddess of Fire in Saturday’s $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2). The 52nd running of the 1 1/16-mile Oaks for 3-year-old fillies was the eighth of 10 stakes, six graded, worth $2.2 million in purses on a blockbuster 14-race program anchored by the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa.

Winning trainer Shug McGaughey (Kathleen O.): “It wasn’t the mile and a sixteenth. We got an outside post going around the first turn the first time and she kind of drifted out a bit, anyway. I think she wants to run a distance of ground. Upstart is by Flatter and she’s out of an Arch mare and that was one of the things that attracted me to her when I saw her pedigree. She just does everything right. She laid in there and Javier you can see when he kind of let her run up to him, she does it pretty easy. He said from there he just kind of let her cruise.”

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL — Otter Bend Stables’ Gufo saved his best punch for last, turning in a powerful finishing kick to chase down and overpower Abaan to win the $200,000 Pan American Stakes (G2). Away from the races since early November when the 5-year-old was 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, Gufo showed no signs of rust, settling toward the back of the pack in the 1 1/2-mile grass stakes before mounting a late charge to blow past Abaan and win in a hand ride under jockey Joel Rosario. Novo Sol was third.

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Repole Stable’s Fearless, a multiple grade stakes-winning son of Ghostzapper, lived up to his 1-5 favoritism at Gulfstream Park with a six-length romp in the $100,000 Ghostzapper (G3), one of 10 stakes worth $2.2 million in purses on Saturday’s 14-race card that was headlined by the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa. Fearless, who finished second in the Fred W. Hooper (G3) and GP Mile (G2) going around one-turn, appreciated the stretch-out to 1 1/8 miles. The Todd Pletcher-trained 6-year-old gelding pushed his career record at Gulfstream to five wins to go along with three runner-up finishes in eight starts

First of 10 Stakes Worth $2.2M on Florida Derby (G1) Card HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Hunter Valley Farm, Debra O’Connor and Marc Detampel’s Family Way, outfinished when second in last month’s The Very One (G3) in her prior start, swept to the lead on the far outside and passed her rivals through the stretch to become a graded-stakes winner in Saturday’s $150,000 Orchid (G3) at Gulfstream Park.