Soul of an Angel

Only a courageous runner-up effort behind 'TDN Rising Star' and 3-year-old male Eclipse finalist Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI Travers Stakes this past August stood between Brookdale Racing Inc, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks and Magdalena Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and a perfect season in 2024. But the enormously talented dark bay filly was utterly dominant against her own sex in 2024 and became the first female since Havre de Grace (Saint Liam) in 2011 to take home the coveted Horse of the Year statuette...

Soul of an Angel (Atreides) came from the clouds to light up the Del Mar tote to the tune of 19-1 beneath Drayden Van Dyke, an effort good enough to take home the Eclipse Award for the nation's top female sprinter. Sixth for co-owner/trainer Gerald James and co-owner Hall Performance in the GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Mar. 9, Soul of an Angel was purchased privately by C2 Racing Stable LLC, Agave Racing Stable and Ken Reimer and turned over to trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. The dark bay 5-year-old, who...

A total of 1,123 entries, including 81 Group or Grade I winners from no fewer than 21 racing jurisdictions from all over the world were received for the 2025 Saudi Cup meeting, to be held Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21 and 22 and King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh. The entries were released Friday by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA). (See TDN Europe for the entries to the meeting's turf events) Some $38.1 million in prize money will be on offer over the course of the weekend, headed up...

Windy Walk, the longest shot in the five-horse field, upset her more-fancied Grade I-winning foes with a wire-to-wire victory in the Rampart Stakes Thursday at Gulfstream Park. The chestnut filly was quickly at the head of affairs and was under a snug hold while setting a dawdling opening quarter of :25.82 as GI Alabama Stakes winner and 5-2 second choice Power Squeeze and GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint winner and 2-5 favorite Soul of an Angel were second last and last, respectively. Power Squeeze rolled up three wide on the...

Jockey Edwin Gonzalez and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. have claimed their respective titles for the Gulfstream Park Sunshine Meet, the track announced Sunday evening. Gonzalez won his first riding title at Gulfstream Park in 2024, prevailing by a single victory over defending champion Edgar Zayas--the final tallying being 35 to 34, respectively--despite neither jockey making it into the winner's circle on closing day. "It's a dream coming true," Gonzalez said. "I've been working hard, working hard every morning. I've been getting good business. The trainers keep giving me opportunities and...

After White Abarrio (Race Day) trounced his competition in an allowance race Friday, his connections started plotting his upcoming schedule, with the GI Pegasus World Cup as the main goal. Normally, the Dec. 21 GIII Harlan's Holiday S. is the main prep for the Pegasus, but co-owner Mark Cornett said he is leaning toward running the soon-to-be 6-year-old instead in the Dec. 28 GIII Prospector S. at Gulfstream. The Mr. Prospector is run at seven furlongs while the Harlan's Holiday is a mile-and-a-sixteenth race. "We will look at the two...

The last few weeks have been and will continue to be important ones for Mark Cornett's C2 Racing Stable, which he owns alongside his brother Clint. A few weeks ago, the Cornett brothers won the GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint with longshot Soul of an Angel (Atreides). And later this week, their stable's star, GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day), will have first start since finishing a disappointing fifth in the GI Metropolitan Handicap June 8. He'll run in an allowance race...

Mark Cornett, who owns and operates C2 Racing with his brother Clint Cornett, joined this week's TDN Writers' Room to discuss what's in store for stable stars White Abarrio, Soul of an Angel and more.

About a year before Drayden Van Dyke won the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint aboard Soul of An Angel (Atreides), no one would have thought he was about to win any sort of major race. His career in shambles, he went 5-for-136 in 2023, and he knew it would not be easy to bounce back. But the story changed. It's now about perseverance. Van Dyke is in Florida, getting ready for the Championship Meet at Gulfstream. His mental health has improved dramatically and, most importantly he is winning...

The Fasig-Tipton November Sale--looking to keep a streak of $100 million-plus gross renewals going into a fourth year--will be held Monday at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. Bidding on the 321 catalogued offerings begins at 2 p.m. and kicks off with an offering of 159 weanlings before continuing on with a glittering array of fillies and mares. "My expectations for the November sale--like they are every year--are sky high," said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. "They are high because of the quality of the horses who are in the catalogue. We've...

Whomever gave Soul of an Angel (Atreides) a Red Bull before Saturday's GI PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, go cash your ticket. The 5-year-old mare sprouted wings down the Del Mar stretch to open Breeders' Cup action with a 19-1 upset win for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. and the ownership group of C2 Racing Stable, Agave Racing Stable and Ken Reimer. The most experienced runner in the field by far (her 40 starts are more than double anyone else), Soul of an Angel has been quietly knocking...

Soul of an Angel earned a berth in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint with a last-to-first dominating victory in the GIII Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream Park Saturday. The 2-1 shot dawdled at the start and was last in the early strides. Completely out of the picture as the quarter went up in :23.10, the dark bay mare was inching closer, but was still far back through a half in :45.79. Tipped to the center of the track into the lane, Soul of an Angel produced a powerful rally...