Saturday’s $100,000 Desert Vixen, $100,000 Dr. Fager Kick Off FSS
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A year ago, Shooting Star Thoroughbreds LLC’s Chance It was the dominant force of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes, winning the $100,000 Dr. Fager, finishing second in the $200,000 Affirmed and clinching the series final with a decisive score in the $400,000 In Reality Stakes.
Shooting Star Thoroughbreds LLC and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. are hopeful that Noble Dreamer will be a major player in the filly division of Florida Sire Stakes this year, starting with Saturday’s $100,000 Desert Vixen at Gulfstream Park.
The daughter of Noble Bird has been installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the six-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies sired by accredited stallions standing in Florida. The Desert Vixen will co-headline Saturday’s 13-race program with the $100,000 Dr. Fager, a six-furlong open-division sprint.
“Chance It, at the point in my career, I’d say he was the most talented horse I had trained. Shooting Star gave him to me, and I’m thankful for that. To have another good filly – she’s not the Chance It kind of filly, but in her own right she’s a nice filly for the Sire Stakes Series,” Joseph said. “The series is what Shooting Star aims for. We’re thankful to be in this position again.”
Joseph will be cautiously optimistic that Noble Dreamer will be able to follow in Chance It’s hoofprints with success in the first leg of the FSS series.
“Her last race was very impressive. I thought we would have enough time until the Sire Stakes that we would be hard to beat, but in that time, she got a little sick and we kind of ended up a little behind the 8-ball,” Joseph said. “That’s the only concern – she’s only had one work. Ideally, you’d like to have two or three, but you have to play with the cards that are dealt. I think she’s talented enough that she should run well. Fitness is a little question mark, but hopefully she can overcome that with ability.”
Noble Dreamer didn’t live up to expectations in her May 28 debut, in which the 6-5 favorite set the pace before finishing second behind late running Demurely.
“She trained so forward, I thought she’d win first time out. It was disappointing, but she got beat fair and square. The filly that beat her is obviously a good filly and she’s going to be in the race Saturday,” Joseph said. “In hindsight, when you win so early, you don’t get another race [before the Florida Sire Stakes]. We took it as a positive that she would have another race under her belt. That was the positive.”
Noble Dreamer made amends with bettors, who were even more optimistic by backing the Florida-bred filly at 4-5 favoritism, romping to a 7 ¼-length score in her second start June 18.
“First time out we were expecting a performance like that, but it still exceeded our expectations a little after the first time.”
Edgard Zayas has the return call aboard the Joseph trainee.
Chance It, meanwhile, is being pointed to the Forego (G1) at Saratoga Aug. 28.
Gulfstream Press Release
Photo: Noble Dreamer, (GP/Coglianese)
