Breeders’ Cup Breakthrough: Saffie Joseph Defying the Odds

Wandering Eyes · 2025-06-16T16:59:46Z

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 finally securing a spot.

A few years into his career, Joseph still had little to show for his efforts. With only a handful of owners–most of them from back home in Barbados–he had been turned down more times than he could count.

At his breaking point, he told his dad it was time to go home.

“But he told me no,” Joseph said. “He said that we'd come too far to go back. For me, that gave me confidence. It was like he finally believed in me. From then on, everything just went to a different level.”

It was the best 'no' that Joseph could have received. Not long after that conversation, he scored his first graded win with Math Wizard (Algorithms) in the 2019 GI Pennsylvania Derby. He had another breakout year in 2024 with 16 graded stakes wins and his first Breeders' Cup victory with Soul of an Angel (Atreides) in the GI Filly and Mare Sprint.

Though Soul of an Angel is no longer in his barn, Joseph is determined to return to the Breeders' Cup this year. And after a fast start to the season, he looks poised to do just that.

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Saffie Joseph Sr. and Jr. in Barbados | photo courtesy Saffie Joseph

Joseph's childhood in Barbados revolved around the racetrack. His father was a trainer and his grandfather was an owner.

“When I was really young–like six, seven, eight–the grooms would put me on the horses after they had trained and my dad would get really pissed if he saw it,” Joseph recalled with a fond smile. “Cleaning a stall brought so much joy to me as a kid. Even just picking out a horse's foot at that age was like the most amazing thing ever.”

At age 22, Joseph became the youngest trainer in history to win Barbados's Triple Crown. Two years later, he arrived in the U.S. with a stable of just two horses. Looking back now, he admits that his decision to start fresh was fueled more by ego than experience.

“You have dreams to be the best in the world,” he explained. “You couldn't do that in Barbados. Over there it's more for prestige and for fun. When I was 22, I thought I was the greatest thing around a horse. Then you come to American and you get a reality check. You realize it's not about you anymore. It's about the horses. I look back at that time and I realize that the horses were training me. I wasn't training the horses.”

Even after launching his stable, Joseph kept learning from his father, who eventually joined him in South Florida as his assistant and advisor. That guidance and mentorship played a crucial role in Joseph's growth and helped pave the way for his eventual success.

When Math Wizard took Joseph to his first Breeders' Cup in 2019, the colt ran a credible fifth in the Classic and left Joseph feeling eager to get back to the World Championships.

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Saffie Joseph gets his first Grade I win with Math Wizard in 2019 | Sarah Andrew

“The Breeders' Cup puts on a show,” he said. “It feels like everyone is there during the week leading up to it. It's fun to be a part of. You look around and there is a good horse on every side of you. There are good trainers there, the best of the best from all over. That's what makes it so unique and so entertaining. All the horses are training there for that week and the camaraderie just makes it an amazing vibe.”

In 2023, Joseph's stable notched a pair of third-place Breeders' Cup efforts and in 2024, he got his first victory. After sitting at the back of the pack through speedy early fractions of :21.94 and :44.42, Soul of an Angel pulled off a 19-1 upset in the Filly and Mare Sprint when she came flying late to get a photo-finish win.

“When you grow up watching the Breeders' Cup, getting our first win with Soul of an Angel was a dream come true,” said Joseph. “It was a moment that you cherish for life. The way she won it, after the first furlong I was like, 'Whoa, she has no chance.' I didn't think she could win. And then every furlong started getting better and better. By the eighth pole, I felt like she was going to get there. It was like she got there in slow motion.”

Joseph watched the race from near the sixteenth pole at Del Mar. When Soul of an Angel switched to the outside and started to make her move, he found himself sprinting down the track apron urging her home. When she hit the wire, he turned to the person who had helped him reach that pinnacle win.

Looking back, the memory of hugging his father before they made their way to the winner's circle together still brings a wave of emotion.

“I told him that I loved him,” he said. “It was just a special moment. That's what racing brings. I wish more people could enjoy it because I can only describe it so much. You have to almost feel it to believe it.”

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Joseph celebrates first Breeders' Cup victory | Breeders' Cup Eclipse Sportwire

Earlier this year, Soul of an Angel sold for $2.6 million to Chatsworth Stud in Australia, breaking the record for the highest sale to date on Fasig-Tipton's digital platform. Although there's no replacing that stable star, Joseph now finds himself with a growing roster of Breeders' Cup hopefuls.

Turf specialist Be Your Best (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) earned her first Grade I score last month in the Gamely Stakes and is now pointing for the GI Diana Stakes on July 12.

White Abarrio (Race Day), who won the 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic under the tutelage of Rick Dutrow, was transferred back to Joseph's barn last year. In his most start, he finished fourth in the GI Metropolitan Handicap. Joseph reported that the 6-year-old is pointing for the GI Whitney Stakes, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) has already secured two graded stakes wins this year, including the GII Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes in his most recent start. Joseph said he will point to either the Whitney or next weekend's GI Stephen Foster Stakes, another Classic 'Win and You're In' qualifier.

Now that Joseph has one Breeders' Cup win on his resume, he is hoping to build on that momentum and attract more top-level talent.

“I think when you win the Breeders' Cup it gives owners confidence to say, 'Hey, we want him to train our horses,'” Joseph explained. “At the end of the day, those are the races the big owners want to win–the Breeders' Cup, the Classics, the Grade Is. Until you're able to do that, you don't really get the first-tier horses. I think as you win those races, they also open opportunities. It may not happen immediately, but it definitely gets people to consider you.”

More than 10 years after relocating his stable to the U.S., Joseph has proven he can compete at the highest level of the sport, but he stops short of saying that he feels a sense of belonging amongst the best.

“There's too much ego in that,” he explained. “I feel thankful and blessed. I thought we weren't going to break through, so it means a lot when you put your whole life into something and you get there finally. It's a full-team moment. There is no hero in this other than the horses. We're just pieces of the puzzle putting everything together to hopefully get the results.”