Gulfstream Park
C2 Racing Stable LLC’s Mish, a 9-year-old trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, won her 12th career race when defeating Shadwell Stable’s highly touted debut winner Elnajd in the Sunday feature.
Mish, a Florida-bred daughter of Field Commission coming off a victory over a sloppy track last time out, was three-wide down the backstretch in the six furlong event before taking a clear lead around the turn. Elnajd, a 4-year-old son of Speightstown, chased Mish home to no avail. Mish covered the distance in 1:10.66 and was 1 1/4 lengths in front of Elnajd.
“He’s the only 9-year-old we have in the barn, but at 9 he’s as sound as ever and as fast as ever,” Joseph said. “He came back today and beat a Brad [Cox] horse that was highly thought of. [Jockey] Irad [Ortiz Jr.] jumped off [Mish] to ride him.
“I think you can’t judge a horse by age. You have to judge a horse on how the horse is doing more than age. You saw what [9-year-old] Constitution Hill did in England the other day. A 9-year-old against a 4-year-old. This is similar. It shows when you have class and you’re good you’re good.”
Jockey Dylan Davis, returning from a spill on Nov. 14 that left him with nine fractured ribs, a collapsed left lung and broken right collarbone, has been named on two horses on Fountain of Youth Day.
Davis is named by trainer Mike Maker on Army Officer in Race 8, an allowance optional claimer on the turf, and on Public Defender in the Honey Fox (G3) in Race 12. Public Defender is trained by Saffie Joseph Jr.
Leading jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride in 13 of Saturday’s 14 races on Fountain of Youth Day, including five for trainer Brad Cox. The only race Ortiz will not ride is the seventh race, the Gulfstream Park Mile (G3).
Following are Ortiz’s mounts along with the trainer: Race 1: Allowance optional claimer – Smooth Breeze (Jorge Abreu); Race 2: Maiden special weight – Sovereign Law (Cox); Race 3: Colonel Liam Stakes – Honey Dutch (Whit Beckman); Race 4: Canadian Turf (G3) – Wolfie’s Dynaghost (Brian Lynch); Race 5: maiden special weight – Hickman Creek (Cox); Race 6: Herecomesthebride (G3) – Spirit Doll (Saffie Joseph Jr.); Race 8: Allowance optional claimer – Chapman’s Peak (Cox); Race 9: handicap – Horsepower (Joe Orseno); Race 10: The Very One (G3) – Candy Quest (Mark Casse); Race 11: Davona Dale (G2) – On Time Girl (Cox); Race 12: Honey Fox (G3) – Crevalle d’Oro; Race 13: Mac Diarmida (G2) – Anegada (Mike Maker); Race 14: Fountain of Youth (G2) – Commandment (Cox).
—Gulfstream Park Press Office
Laurel Park
Yedsit Hazlewood, the runner-up in the 2025 Eclipse Award voting for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, continued his hot run at the Maryland track, winning three more races on Sunday.
Hazlewood has won 17 races from 48 mounts at Laurel Park since the February 12 card. He notched three races that afternoon, followed by another triple on February 14, and then earned another hat trick the following afternoon.
Hazlewood, who turns 18 on March 10, grabbed the opener aboard trainer Hugh McMahon’s Tuff Luck ($3.80), rallied from off the pace to win the seventh aboard Phlying Phyllis ($5) for trainer Gary Capuano, then took the finale in front-running fashion aboard Phil Capuano’s Kittyup ($6.60).
A native of Panama, Hazlewood was Maryland’s top rider by races won in 2025. He currently leads the winter meet standings with 29 victories, 15 more than Angel Cruz.
Jockey Carlos Lopez secured consecutive wins on Sunday. He quickly had Galpin Sunday ($5.60) in front in the fourth race for trainer Lacey Gaudet, then settled just off the early pace with pace-prompting Flirty Bajan ($4) in the fifth for trainer Henry Walters.–Dan Illman
Oaklawn
Grade 3 winner Awesome Aaron had his second published workout this season, covering three furlongs in :36.80 on a chilly Friday morning for trainer Norm Casse. The track was fast.
Casse, on behalf of owner Frank Turman, claimed Awesome Aaron for $40,000 out of a Sept. 26, 2024, victory at Churchill Downs. Awesome Aaron has two victories for Casse, capturing a 1 1/16-mile allowance last April at Oaklawn and the Pimlico Special Stakes (G3) at 1 3/16 miles in May at Pimlico.
Awesome Aaron is unraced since finishing second in the 1 1/8 mile Battery Park Stakes Sept. 28 at Delaware Park.
“We gave him 90 days off after his last start and brought him back down here with the intention of, hopefully, finding something by the end of the meet,” Casse said Friday morning. “We’d love to run him one time before the end, but there’s really no timetable.”
Awesome Aaron had his first published workout since the Battery Park Feb. 12, when he went three furlongs in :38.40. A 7-year-old gelded son of Practical Joke, Awesome Aaron has a 6-4-6 record from 37 lifetime starts and earnings of $665,763.
After a slow start in 2025-2026 at Oaklawn, Casse has won five races since the Classic racing season began Feb. 5. He has six victories overall after favored Manfredi ($6.80) took the Saturday nightcap under Luis Saez.
“The first part of the meet was frustrating, but I’ve been very happy with the way the horses have been running,” Casse said. “They’ve all been running well for us. A lot of Oaklawn is being in the right races at the right time. Kind of got to get lucky with the way that the condition book goes. Feels like we’re kind of getting into that rhythm again.”
Casse has a 22-percent career strike rate at Oaklawn (45 of 202) since he began wintering in Hot Springs in 2021-2022. Oaklawn’s 2025-2026 meeting ends May 2.
Ramon Vazquez will ride multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Quietside in the $400,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) for older fillies and mares March 7, trainer John Ortiz said Sunday morning.
Quietside, with Vazquez aboard, worked a half-mile in :47.40, Saturday morning.
Other early Azeri probables are champion Nitrogen and multiple Grade 1 winner La Cara for trainer Mark Casse and Standoutsensation for trainer Tom Amoss.
The Azeri is Oaklawn’s final major prep for the $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) April 11. Both races are 1 1/16 miles.
Trainer Steve Asmussen saddled two winners Saturday, pushing his career Oaklawn total to a record-extending 1,018.
Asmussen won the second race with Tis Charming ($8.60) and the ninth race with Miss Arlington ($8.60). Asmussen’s youngest son, Erik Asmussen, rode Tis Charming and the trainer’s oldest son, Keith Asmussen, rode Miss Arlington.
Steve Asmussen also owns both winners. He has a meet-high 25 victories as a trainer and a meet-high seven as an owner. Miss Arlington was Asmussen’s 159th career victory at Oaklawn as a sole owner. He was co-leading owner at the 2024-2025 meeting.
—Robert Yates
Santa Anita
Trainer Mark Glatt reported So Happy, winner of the G2 San Vicente going seven furlongs on Jan. 10, is likely to run in the G2 San Felipe on March 7 following a stiff six-furlong work in company Sunday.
So Happy, with Mike Smith in the irons, worked with older graded stakes winner Mi Hermano Ramon. Both were timed in 1:11.60, which tied for the fastest of 11 works at the distance.
“I thought everything went well,” Glatt said. “So Happy is just an average work horse, so we worked him with a really good work horse. It was good.”
Last Sunday, So Happy worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds. It was the second-fastest of 73 works at the distance.
After winning his debut sprinting at Del Mar in November, So Happy returned in the San Vicente and promptly scored by two lengths with Smith aboard. The San Felipe, contested at 1 1/16 miles, would be his first time racing around two turns. As a son of champion sprinter Runhappy, distance capabilities remain a major question mark for So Happy. However, there is reason for optimism based solely on pedigree as his dam-sire, Blame, won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic going 1 ¼ miles.
Nominations for the San Felipe close on Sunday. Entries will be taken a week from Monday.
Vodka Vodka and his younger half-sister Om N Joy are both on target for Grade 1 assignments on March 7 at the Arcadia, Calif. track after each worked five furlongs Sunday at Santa Anita.
Trained by Aggie Ordonez, Vodka Vodka and Om N Joy each worked with jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard.
As for Vodka Vodka, he was timed in 1:00.20. Ordonez was pleased with the drill and said he’s set to go in the Santa Anita Handicap in two weeks.
“He’s doing so great right now. I could run him tomorrow,” Ordonez said. “He’s just floating on air, doing everything right. He’s fit. It’s just a matter of keeping him happy while I hold my breath for the next two weeks.”
A 5-year-old California-bred gelding by Stay Thirsty, Vodka Vodka most recently won the Unusual Heat Turf Classic on Jan. 17 at Santa Anita. Prior to that effort, he was fourth in the G2 Laffit Pincay Jr. on Dec. 28 in his only stakes try against open company.
Om N Joy worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds. The 4-year-old California-bred daughter of Om hasn’t started since finishing fourth in the G2 Raven Run in October at Keeneland.
“It was exactly what I was looking for,” Ordonez said of the drill.
Om N Joy is now confirmed to run in the G1 B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile on the Big ‘Cap card. That hoped-for assignment had been in doubt following what was a lackluster work last Sunday by Om N Joy.
“She needed a serious work and it was a serious work,” Ordonez said. “Kent set a target behind two Baffert horses. That’s usually a good idea when you need a good work. It played out perfectly. She had a target and picked it up down the lane immensely.
Last week, Om N Joy worked five furlongs in 1:02.6.
“I was a little concerned with her work last week, but Kent made a smart move that day and gave her a strong gallop-out. It turned into a stamina work really,” Ordonez said. “We discussed that she would need to wake up this week and she did.”
Vodka Vodka and Om N Joy were both bred and are co-owned by Jerry Baker and Connie Baker, who were on hand Sunday morning to watch the works.
Trainer Tim Yakteen bagged three wins Saturday on a 10-race card. Yakteen won the opener with Third Beer ($5.20), the sixth with Bowtie Boys ($3.60) and the 10th and final race with longshot Essential Lady ($65.80). Yakteen now has seven wins at the Classic Meet.
—Victor Ryan
