Joseph Will Run Trio in Princess Rooney

The Princess Rooney Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park has seen its grade and purse gradually reduced since it was moved from Calder Race Course a dozen years ago, but the race has experienced a renaissance in its impact on the female sprint division. Two of the last four winners—Ce Ce in 2021 and Soul of an Angel in 2024—went on to win the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) and were voted champion female sprinter. The Rooney is again part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series this year and will award the winner an automatic fees-paid berth to the Filly and Mare Sprint Nov. 1 at Del Mar. A year after winning the Rooney with Soul of an Angel, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is back with a four-horse entry for the $200,000, seven-furlong race Sept. 20 at Gulfstream. Joseph also won this race in 2023 with Three Witches, who finished third in that year's Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. C2 Racing Stable, Stefania Farms, and BAG Racing Stables' Mystic Lake is the most accomplished filly in this year's field, but Joseph said the 4-year-old daughter of Mo Town will instead run in the $150,000 Liberty Bell Stakes Saturday at Parx Racing. "It's a combination of factors, but the main thing is she is in the area already. She's in Saratoga, so it's three hours instead of 22 hours in the heat, and one member of her ownership has Haulin Ice in the Rooney," Joseph said. Despite the success he had last year with Soul of an Angel, Joseph said he is not looking past Saturday's race. "This race is important for any of these fillies in its own right," he said. "Haulin Ice has won a grade 3 already but the other two fillies haven't, so if they jump up, they can become a lot more valuable. I just hope we can win it." Joseph said he thinks the Arkansas-bred 4-year-old Coal Front filly Haulin Ice, the 123-pound co-high weight owned by C2 Racing, Miller Racing, Paul Braverman, and Timothy Pinch, is his best shot. Haulin Ice, a grade 3 winner, had a four-race win streak snapped in the Aug. 16 Sheer Drama Handicap at Gulfstream. The filly who beat her, Blu Boy Racing Stable and Matty Dan Racing Stable's Vincey Girl, returns and drew the rail for trainer Jose D'Angelo, but after getting seven pounds from Haulin Ice last time, the spread is down to two pounds this time. "Haulin Ice is coming in fit and ready. Last time she was handicapped at 127 pounds. They kinda handicapped her to get beat and she did get beat," Joseph said. "This time she looks like the speed of the race, and she’s in great shape. I think she’s gonna run one of her better races." Miller Racing also has Claret Beret, a 4-year-old Not This Time filly who won a handicap at Gulfstream by 19 3/4 lengths in her first race in the Joseph barn, then ran second, beaten three-quarters of a length by grade 1 winner Vahva in the June 21 Chicago Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. Claret Beret regressed in her most recent start when finishing sixth, beaten 25 lengths in the Ballerina Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. Joseph said he wasn't sure what to make of the Ballerina. "She did have a runny nose like 10 days before the race, but her bloodwork seemed fine after that," Joseph said. "It was perplexing why she ran that poorly. She came in off two big races, and she was in a good spot and she just quit. She's had one work since, and we'll see what we've got this weekend." Another entrant for Miller Racing is the private purchase Ultimate Authority, a 4-year-old Practical Joke filly who made her first eight lifetime starts in California for trainer Tim Yakteen. Ultimate Authority hasn't run since April 19 when she finished a distant third behind Richi (CHI) in the 1 1/16-mile Santa Maria Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. Both of Ultimate Authority's career wins came around two turns going a mile, but she has been flashing some speed in four workouts since joining Joseph's string at Palm Meadows Training Center. "She's a bit behind schedule, but this race is at home and we're taking a chance to see what we got. She has trained well, but from a fitness standpoint it could be hard to get it done off that preparation," Joseph said. "Her numbers are good enough that if she fires, she could win it. "She's been running a mile, but she's by Practical Joke, and I would think seven-eighths could be good for his offspring. Her last work was good enough, and this isn't a crazy tough field. We have nothing to lose and a lot to gain." Another challenger is MyRacehorse and JR Ranch's 3-year-old Bolt d'Oro filly Reputation. She won the Tyson Gilpin Stakes by 6 3/4 lengths Aug. 9 at Colonial Downs and will be making her first start against older horses.