Photo:

Shamela Hanley / Eclipse Sportswire

Soul of an Angel, the dramatic upset winner of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint last Saturday at Del Mar, is taking it easy following her return to Gulfstream Park, where she is expected to race one more time this year before embarking on a 2025 campaign.

Saffie Joseph Jr., who trains Soul of an Angel for the C2 Racing Stable, Agave Racing Stable and Ken Reimer partnership that purchased the 5-year-old mare privately earlier this year, said the connections are considering the $125,000 Rampart for fillies and mares aged 3 and up Dec. 26 as a
springboard to the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) Feb. 22.

“Nothing is set in stone. Everything is kind of tentative, but I would say if she goes to the Saudi Cup she’s probably going to run in the Rampart,” Joseph said Friday. “It’s a one-turn mile at Gulfstream so it kind of sets her up for that. It gives her good timing from the Breeders’ Cup to that race and it gives her good timing from the Rampart to the Saudi Cup. And it’s a good progression, going from seven (furlongs) to a one-turn mile and a one-turn mile and an eighth.”

Joseph arrived back in South Florida from California on Tuesday morning and later that night was joined by Soul of an Angel, who earned $520,000 for her third graded-stakes victory and first Grade 1. The victory in the Breeders’ Cup took her over the $1 million mark in purses.

“She came out of it well. She hasn’t done much since the race. She’s just walked and she’ll probably hand-walk the rest of the week and start back with tack next week. She’ll probably just jog for a couple weeks,” Joseph said. “I’m just thankful for the moment and thankful to be able to experience that. To win a Breeders’ Cup race, it’s important for your career and for the ownership group that’s been so good to us.”

Soul of an Angel was slow into stride and last in a field of nine, trailing by as many as 12 lengths after a quarter-mile. She began to pick up horses on the far turn, swept to the far outside straightening for home and came with an eye-catching run through the stretch to win by a half-length at odds of 19-1.

“Watching it live you have more confidence, because you’re living in hope,” Joseph said. “The first furlong obviously wasn’t good and then after that it looked a little better and a little better and you got some confidence and you watched with hope.

“But when you watch the replay, after the first furlong it’s like she has no chance to win. No matter how many times I watch it and I see the first furlong it’s like, ‘Whoa, she’s not going to make it,'” he
added. “It’s unbelievable where she came from.”

Soul of an Angel showed a similar turn of foot winning Gulfstream’s Princess Rooney (G3) on Sept. 21, a qualifier for the Filly & Mare Sprint. Because she was not
originally Breeders’ Cup nominated, Soul of an Angel was supplemented to the race for $100,000.

“She did that in the Princess Rooney, too, but I thought in the Princess Rooney she was a little restless so that’s why I didn’t expect her to be that far back this time again,” Joseph said. “Going
seven-eighths that’s her style. She’s going to sit back and make that run and she’s got a really strong kick.”

Joseph had two other horses in the Breeders’ Cup, with Skippylongstocking finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Honor D Lady running seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Honor D Lady was purchased for $1 million at Fasig-Tipton’s fall mixed sale two days after the Breeders’ Cup, while Skippylongstocking is back at Gulfstream to prepare for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) on Jan. 25.

“Honor D Lady was always going to the sale (and) she sold well,” Joseph said. “Skippy will have a little break, and I would say he might go straight to the Pegasus off of that.”

Saturday Joseph will send out Holiday Pay in the $75,000 Awesome Banner overnight handicap for 3-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs. The Florida-bred Awesome Slew colt has never been worse than third in eight starts, all at Gulfstream, with three wins including a one-mile optional claiming allowance against older horses last time out Oct. 18.

“He’s been solid. I think he’s kind of been improving each time. He’s cutting back in distance a little bit this time, but I believe seven-eighths is a pretty good distance for him. He had one work and it was a
solid work again. He’s been training very well,” Joseph said. “Racing against your own age group always helps. I feel like he’s progressing gat a nice rate and we’re hopeful of a good run.”

Holiday Pay drew outermost post 9 under jockey Edgard Zayas and is listed as the 5-2 morning line favorite.