Gulfstream Park will prepare to host a compelling Saturday programme, with the Princess Rooney poised to command the spotlight as trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will pursue a fourth consecutive triumph in the Grade 3 feature. The $225,000 contest will unfold over seven furlongs and will also serve as a significant gateway towards the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Keeneland on October 31.
Joseph will approach the feature with an enviable record at Gulfstream Park, where he will seek to extend an extraordinary sequence of 16 consecutive conditioning titles. His ascendancy in the Princess Rooney will lend further distinction to the occasion, with his stable set to pursue an unprecedented fourth straight success in the prestigious sprint.
The sequence will have encompassed victories by Three Witches, Soul of an Angel and Haulin Ice. Three Witches will have subsequently secured third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita, while Soul of an Angel will have progressed to victory in the same Grade 1 event at Del Mar. Joseph will therefore look to preserve that formidable lineage with another three-pronged challenge.
Princess Rooney Will Feature Three Joseph Runners
Joseph will entrust three runners to the Princess Rooney, with Anakarina, Indy Bay and Kerry’s Kiss forming a formidable representation for the seven-furlong assignment.
Anakarina will arrive with the benefit of recent success in the Love Sign Stakes at Colonial Downs on July 25. Her latest performance will provide a persuasive foundation as she steps into a more exacting Grade 3 environment, where tactical nous and sustained acceleration will be paramount.
Indy Bay will bring a substantial measure of proven class to the contest. She will carry the distinction of a Charles Town Oaks (G2) victory from 2025, while two runner-up efforts at Gulfstream Park will underscore her familiarity with the venue. Those performances will have come behind stablemate Kerry’s Kiss in the Sheer Drama and Musical Romance Stakes.
Kerry’s Kiss will consequently reinforce Joseph’s challenge with established form at Gulfstream Park. The presence of three runners from the same stable will give the Princess Rooney an intriguing dimension, particularly with Joseph seeking to extend a sequence that will have become one of the feature’s defining recent narratives.
Simply Joking Will Bring Grade 1 Credentials
Michael McCarthy will counter with Simply Joking, who will arrive carrying an impressive portfolio of graded-stakes form. McCarthy will also bring a distinguished association with the Princess Rooney, having previously saddled Ce Ce to consecutive victories in 2021 and 2022.
Simply Joking will enter following a third-place finish in the Clement Hirsch Stakes (G1) at Del Mar on August 1. She will also bring the benefit of a runner-up finish in the Santa Margarita Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita in May and a Santa Maria Stakes (G3) victory at the same circuit in April.
Leonard Powell will saddle No Bad Beats, who will add another accomplished presence to the field. She will have finished second in the Las Flores Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita in January before returning from a six-month absence with an allowance victory at Del Mar on August 9.
Just a Philly, trained by Herbert Miller, will also feature after placing third in both the Sheer Drama and Musical Romance Stakes. Bombacha Veloz will meanwhile embark upon her first United States assignment for trainer Amador Sanchez after compiling five victories from nine starts in Chile.
The field will thus bring together graded-stakes experience, established Gulfstream form and international credentials, ensuring that the Princess Rooney will carry considerable depth beyond its headline stable.
The Princess Rooney will headline a three-stakes programme at Gulfstream Park, with the $100,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint and $100,000 Ginger Punch Handicap also set to feature.
The Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint will cover five furlongs on turf and will draw a field of nine. Trainer Joe Orseno will enter three runners, including Rezasrolex, who will bring a formidable record after winning 15 of 23 starts and completing a nine-race winning sequence last year.
Rezasrolex will enter following a victory in the Pay Any Price Stakes at Gulfstream Park on July 5 and an eighth-place finish in the Troy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga. Joseph will also send Thought Control into the contest after an emphatic turf victory at Gulfstream Park in May.
The Ginger Punch Handicap will complete the stakes programme, with the $100,000 event scheduled over one mile on turf for fillies and mares. A field of 10 will be expected, with Fantasy Performer representing trainer Cam Gambolati.
The full Gulfstream Park card will comprise 10 races, with the opening contest scheduled for 12:20 p.m. Eastern Time. While the supporting stakes will provide additional quality across the programme, the Princess Rooney will remain the principal attraction as Joseph attempts to extend his remarkable association with the Grade 3 feature.
The Princess Rooney will take centre stage at Gulfstream Park as Saffie Joseph Jr. will pursue a fourth consecutive victory in the Grade 3 feature. His three-runner challenge of Anakarina, Indy Bay and Kerry’s Kiss will encounter a deep field featuring graded-stakes performers, established Gulfstream specialists and an international newcomer.
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