Barbados

Stepping into the shedrow of Laurel Park's Barn 22 late in the morning on a dark day, all is relatively quiet. Outside of the office, a groom rakes up loose pieces of straw as the horse residing in the first stall peers out inquisitively, all the while his neighbor to the left lies curled up in freshly tossed bedding. Further down, a wheelbarrow sits parked outside of the fifth stall, which is where you'll find trainer Henry Walters as he finishes mucking out. After setting aside the pitchfork and giving...

Saffie Joseph Jr. is no stranger to rejection. In the early years of his training career, there were moments when he wondered if chasing his dream had been a big mistake. In what is now a familiar part of Joseph's origin story, his father had warned him against leaving Barbados to launch a stable in America. Joseph came anyway. He arrived at Calder Race Course in 2011 only to be told that there was no stall space available, but he went back to the racing secretary week after week until...

One Man Team (Nyquist) backed up his sparkling debut with another sterling performance in the Heft Stakes to claim his career first black-type. Employing a similar strategy as in his debut Oct. 31, when he took a field gate to wire to win by six lengths, the 5-2 second betting choice once again took command out of the gate. Rating well through :23.22 and :47.18 early splits, he handled a would-be challenger on the turn, and opened a clear advantage coming for home. Coasting home, he was 4 1/4 lengths...

A plane carrying 11 South African Thoroughbreds, among them current Equus Horse of the Year Princess Calla (SAf) (Flower Alley) and Breeders' Cup qualifier Beach Bomb (SAf) (Lancaster Bomber), touched down at New York's JFK Airport on Thursday, the Sporting Post reported. November's Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships at Del Mar are on the radar for several of the new arrivals, who will now spend two months in quarantine. The first direct export flight from South Africa since 2003, the plan was chartered after champion owner/breederGaynor Rupert of Drakenstein Stud,...

The concept of the super trainer is by no means a new phenomenon in horse racing, but the huge stables run by super trainers have undoubtedly changed the landscape of the sport in many ways, from the backside to the racing entries. Are super trainers bad for the sport?  Are there any benefits for an owner in using a "smaller" trainer? We asked these questions and more to a few trainers who may not be considered super trainers in terms of their stall numbers, but they have made the most...

Roughly 90 minutes before he saddles Chance It (Currency Swap) in the GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. will attempt to win his native country's most prestigious race, the $119,500 Sandy Lane Barbados Gold Cup, for the first time when he sends out American import Renaisance Frolic (Paynter). A stakes winner at two and three for trainer David Fawkes, the 5-year-old strung together a trio of allowance victories last fall at Churchill Downs and Indiana Grand and was a latest fourth in the rained-off Buddy Diliberto...

Saffie Joseph Jr. lived what many might call an idyllic life in his native Barbados. Since relocating his family and bourgeoning racing stable to Southern Florida in 2011, however, the third-generation horseman has seen his own American dream given wings as he begins to realize his childhood ambitions. After arriving in the U.S. with only two horses, the 33-year-old's operation has expanded to a team 65-strong, including Grade I winner Math Wizard (Algorithms), GI Kentucky Derby hopeful Chance It (Currency Swap) and undefeated Tonalist's Shape (Tonalist). And while Joseph points...