Joseph Returns to Homeland for Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup

Joseph-Trained R Disaster Favored in G3 Hurricane Bertie
Pegasus Hero Skippylongstocking Possible for G3 Ghostzapper
Wilkes Looking Ahead with Just Basking, Burnham Square
Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $175,000

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will be spending the weekend in his homeland of Barbados, where he is scheduled to saddle three starters in the Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup Saturday.

Gulfstream’s leading trainer will be represented by Abrumar, Sir London and Divin Propos, all of whom made their most recent starts at Gulfstream.

Joseph, who became the youngest trainer to sweep the Barbados Triple Crown with Areyoutalkintome in 2009 at the age of 22, notched his first Gold Cup victory last year with Harrow.

At Gulfstream, Joseph will be represented by Averill Racing LLC and Two Eight Racing LLC’s R Disaster in Saturday’s $175,000 Hurricane Bertie (G3), a 6 ?-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares that will headline a 12-race program.

The 5-year-old daughter of Awesome Slew, who captured the Gallant Bloom (G2) at Aqueduct last fall, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in a field of nine, including four Joseph stablemates, for her 2026 debut. The Florida-bred mare, who has been first or second in all 13 of her starts, closed out her 2025 campaign with a close-up second in the Nov. 8 Dream Supreme at Churchill Downs.

“We gave her a little break after her last race. She’s had four works, so you’d think she’d improve on that race,” Joseph said.

Miller Racing LLC’s Taliesin, Shining Stables LLC and Steven Friedfertig’s Luvumorgan, Agave Racing Stable and Miller Racing LLC’s Indy Bay, and Mark Corrado and Chris Coleman’s Andrea, will also represent Joseph in the Hurricane Bertie.

Meanwhile, Joseph is looking at options for Skippylongstocking’s next start. Daniel Alonso’s 2026 Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) winner was scratched from Saturday’s Santa Anita Handicap (G1) earlier in the week when he uncharacteristically acted up so severely while being boarded onto a California-bound plane that Joseph made the call to return him to his stall at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“I always look at it as everything happens for a reason. No regrets,” Joseph said.

Skippylongstocking, who had shipped to Santa Anita last spring to win the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2), rallied from off the pace to defeat Joseph stablemate White Abarrio by 1 ? lengths in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Jan. 24. The son of Exaggerator had tuned up for his Pegasus score with a victory over Godolphin’s Poster in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3) Dec. 20 at Gulfstream.

“He’ll probably run at Oaklawn in the Essex, or he’ll run at Gulfstream in the Ghostzapper,” Joseph said. “I’m going to work him when I get back.”

The 1 1/8-mile Essex Handicap (G3) will be run March 21, while the 1 1/16-mile Ghostzapper (G3) will be renewed on the undercard of the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) March 28.

Wilkes Looking Ahead with Just Basking, Burnham Square

Just Basking, upset winner of the $175,000 The Very One (G3) Feb. 28, and Grade 1-winning stablemate Burnham Square, second in his comeback on the same Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) program at Gulfstream Park, emerged from their respective runs in good order and are being pointed to next month’s Keeneland spring meet.

Both horses are trained by Ian Wilkes, who also had 4-year-old colt Pitkin set a track record for 1 1/16 miles on the turf (1:37.80) in the Fountain of Youth Day opener and Omaha Beach finish fourth in the Davona Dale (G2) and earn 10 Kentucky Oaks (G1) qualifying points.

“It was a great day,” Wilkes said. “Pitkin broke the track record and Just Basking, she ran like we thought she would. She just had a lot of setbacks last year where we only got to run her once. We finally got a race into her here to set her up for that race, and that was perfect.”

Andrew Schwarz and Wendy Schwarz Gilder’s 5-year-old mare Just Basking was making just her second start in 10 months and was back on the grass for the 1 3/8-mile The Very One after running third in a one-mile optional claimer on Gulfstream’s main track Jan. 15. The 1 ?-mile Bewitch (G3) for older fillies and mares on the grass April 24 is a possibility.

“It’s a little later in the meet, but she’s a light filly,” Wilkes said. “She ran hard, and I just don’t want to reel her back here too quick because it’s a long year. She’s run twice here now, so we’ll look ahead to Keeneland.”

Burnham Square, bred and owned by Whitham Thoroughbreds, is likely for the April 18 Elkhorn (G2) for older horses, also on the grass. The 4-year-old had gone unraced since finishing second in the Nashville Derby Invitational (G3) Aug. 30 and rallied from far back to run 2 ? lengths behind winner Cruise the Nile in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance on the grass.

“Burham Square ran a real good race. Was I ready to run him? Probably not, but there was nothing in the next book for him and I wanted to get a race into him here,” Wilkes said. “He came out of it good, which was the main object. He came out good and his gallop-out was tremendous. He’ll go to the Elkhorn now.”

Burnham Square broke his maiden and won the Holy Bull (G3) in back-to-back starts last winter at Gulfstream, the latter over subsequent Curlin Florida Derby (G1) winner Tappan Street. He went on to win the Blue Grass (G1) and finish sixth in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and later made his turf debut going 1 5/16 miles at Kentucky Downs.

“It’s always a relief when you get them back, but the way he trained I had confidence,” Wilkes said. “He’s trained very well. He didn’t miss a beat and hasn’t missed a beat and has just trained better this year than last year, and he trained good last year. It’s exciting. I hope I don’t jinx him. We’ll just keep going forward. Distance is going to be his friend. He’ll get stronger as they go [longer].”

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Estimated at $175,000

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool is expected to grow to an estimated $175,000 Saturday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Friday for the second racing day following last Sunday’s $462,562.64 jackpot hit.

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 7-12, featuring two stakes and an overnight handicap.

The $125,000 Silks Run, a five-furlong turf stakes for older horses, will kick off the Rainbow 6 action in Race 7. Joe Orseno-trained Rezasrolex, whose nine-racing winning streak ended with a runner-up finish in the Turf Dash at Tampa Bay Downs last time out, is second in a field of seven at 8-5 on the morning line behind Jan. 24 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint winner Litigation (6-5).

The $100,000 Orange Blossom, a 1 1/16-mile overnight handicap on Tapeta for fillies and mares, will be contested as Race 9. Marty Drexler-trained Queens Command, Grade 3-placed on the Tapeta course at Woodbine two starts back, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in a field seven that will include David Fawkes-trained Charlie’s Wish, rated second at 3-1.

The $175,000 Hurricane Bertie (G3), a 6 ?-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, will mark the return to action of R Disaster in Race 11. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained 5-year-old mare, who has not finished worse than second in 13 career starts, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Anthony Margotta Jr.-trained Sterling Silver, winner of Gulfstream’s Dec. 26 Rampart, returns from a runner-up finish in the Forward Gal (G3) Jan. 24.

In the Rainbow 6, the jackpot pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Who’s Hot: Leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. doubled aboard Maitre D ($3.20) in Race 4 and Starship Juliette ($4) in Race 7. Jose Morelos made a pair of visits to the winner’s circle with Looks to Kill ($13.80) in Race 3 and Okiro ($59.20) in Race 10. Both Maitre D and Banded Rocket ($6.80) in Race 9 are trained by Carlos David.