Joseph Taking Four Shots at $150k Suwannee River Repeat

Mile Stakes Serves as Prep for Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2)

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Having used it as a springboard to success in the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2) last year, three-time defending Championship Meet leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will send out four hopefuls seeking to following a similar path in Saturday’s $150,000 Suwannee River at Gulfstream Park.

To be run for the 79th time, the Suwannee River for fillies and mares 3 and up, scheduled for a two-turn mile on the grass, is the third of five stakes, two graded, worth $750,000 in purses on an 11-race Pegasus Preview Day program that begins at 12:20 p.m.

The Suwannee River serves as a prep for the $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf, contested at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 24. Joseph-trained Be Your Best captured last year’s Suwannee River, then a Grade 3, en route to a 7-1 upset in the Pegasus. Two starts later, the Irish-bred won the Gamely (G1) at Santa Anita.

Movin’ On Up, Ultimate Authority, Leo Toro and Public Defender will each represent Joseph in the Suwannee River. All but Ken Ramsey’s Movin’ On Up are owned by Myron Miller of Miller Racing, and Joseph believes any from the group can emerge as a Pegasus candidate.

“I do feel so,” he said. “Last year we were able to win it with Be Your Best and then she went on to win the Pegasus. I definitely feel like, timing-wise, it fits good. If you run well here, you would hope to go to the Pegasus.”

Movin On’ Up looks to rebound off a ninth-place finish in the Aug. 30 Ladies Turf (G3) at Kentucky Downs, her most recent race. Prior to that she ran third in three consecutive stakes including the Mint Julep (G3) and Distaff Turf Mile (G2) in Kentucky.

“She’s coming off a little layoff. We feel like she’s training very good and should get back to her best numbers, hopefully,” Joseph said. “She disappointed a little bit at Kentucky Downs, but I thought even then that she was tailing off a little bit. We feel like she should come back to her best.”

Narrowly favored at 3-1 on the morning line in a field of 11, Movin’ On Up owns multiple wins on two surfaces in her only four starts at Gulfstream including the 1 1/16-mile Sand Springs March 29 on turf. Edgard Zayas, who rode Be Your Best in both the Suwannee River and Pegasus, has the call from Post 2.

“We know she likes Gulfstream,” Joseph said. “She has two grass wins, and she’s also won twice on the Tapeta. She’s never gotten beat at Gulfstream. That’s a good sign. I have to tell her that tomorrow.”

Ultimate Authority (Post 3, 20-1) will be trying turf for the first time in her 10th career start, the first eight coming for trainer Tim Yakteen in California including a third in the April 19 Santa Maria (G2). She ran seventh in the Sept. 20 Princess Rooney (G3) in her first start for Joseph behind stablemate Haulin Ice.

“She doesn’t have a ton of turf pedigree,” Joseph said. “I was just trying to change it up with her last week and I worked her on the grass. She worked so good that we supplemented her for the race. We’ll give her a shot and see what happens.”

Claimed for $35,000 out of a Feb. 20 victory at Gulfstream, Leo Toro (Post 6, 20-1) enters the Suwannee River on a three-race win streak. The most recent came Sept. 20 in the Ginger Punch, her stakes debut contested around two turns at one mile and 70 yards on the Tapeta.

“She does well with time and she’s definitely been a good claim,” Joseph said. “She won the stake last time. She’s going to need to step up from a numbers perspective, but we feel that she’s capable of doing it.”

Public Defender (Post 8, 12-1) will be racing first time for Joseph, privately purchased by Miller after winning five of 10 starts for previous trainer Jane Cibelli. She put together four straight wins starting Jan. 25 on the Gulfstream Tapeta, the next three coming on the Colonial Downs turf before finishing fourth, beaten 1 ¼ lengths, in an Oct. 16 allowance at Keeneland.

“We haven’t had a ton of time with her. She’s obviously run well,” Joseph said. “She had a four-race win streak and then she ran fourth at Keeneland for Jane and wasn’t beaten very far. We feel like on numbers she fits with this bunch and hopefully she can run just as good.”

Team Valor International’s Feather Boa (Post 9, 9-2), a Group 2 winner in her native South Africa, chases her first North American win in the Suwannee River. She has run third in each of her domestic starts, an optional claimer in September 2024 sprinting six furlongs and the Noble Damsel going one mile Oct. 19, both on the Aqueduct turf.

Offered in Fasig-Tipton’s November sale, Feather Boa did not reach her $335,000 reserve and was returned to Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher’s Gulfstream string to continue her racing career.

“We’ve been pointing her to this race since then,” Pletcher said. “I thought she ran a good race off the layoff. We’re looking forward to getting her going again.”

As he did in her North American debut last fall, Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call on Feather Boa, whose running style is to come from off the pace. In her two U.S. starts, separated by 13 months, she has been beaten a total of 2 ¼ lengths.

“She came from way out of it last time and closed really well. Hopefully she’ll get a little better early position this time and still have the same late kick,” Pletcher said. “She’s a late-running horse and she’s a little tricky, too, because she tends to idle when and if she makes the lead. So, you kind of have to time things right with her.”

Do Gooder (Post 1, 15-1), two-for-two on the Gulfstream turf; Crevalle d’Oro (Post 4, 7-2), fourth last out in the Nov. 1 Goldikova (G3) racing first time for Championship Meet leading trainer Jose D’Angelo; Aussie Girl (Post 5, 4-1), neck winner of the Noble Damsel; Sirona (Post 7, 8-1), three times Group 3-placed in Europe; Belle of Rights (Post 10, 30-1) and Spinning Colors (Post 11, 15-1) complete the field.