Turf or dirt, Joseph is good

Rain or shine, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. looks like he has all the bases covered for Sunday’s $60,000 Portofino Bay Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Gulfstream Park. The Portofino Bay is scheduled to be run at 1 1/16 miles over the turf, although with a 60 percent chance of rain in the forecast as of late in the week, the race might have to be moved to the main track.

Joseph has both Tournesol and Sound Machine for the Portofino Bay. Sound Machine is one of three main-track-only runners among the 11 entered, along with R U Royalty and Don’t Get Khozy.

Tournesol has been idle since rallying to a half-length starter-allowance and optionalclaiming win going a mile over the turf May 3 at Gulfstream. The victory was the second in four starts, all on grass, for the stretch-running Tournesol, who lured leading rider Edgard Zayas for the assignment.

“She continues to get better and has trained well into the race,” Joseph said. “Ideally, I’d have liked to run her back in a one-other-than allowance race, only those have been hard to get to go. But she should appreciate the added distance and having Edgard is always a big plus the way he’s been riding lately. She should have a good chance.”

Sound Machine has not started since finishing a distant second behind Frank’s Rockette in the six-furlong Any Limit Stakes on Feb. 22 at Gulfstream. Frank’s Rockette won the Grade 3 Victory Ride last Saturday at Belmont Park.

“I always wanted to stretch her out, and now looks like a good time since there aren’t that many opportunities for her here,” Joseph said of Sound Machine. “If this race rains off the turf, it looks like a good place to try her going further. She’s not 100 percent cranked for the race, but if she can stay the trip, she should get it done.”

If the Portofino Bay goes as scheduled on grass, Tournesol may face her sternest challenges from Yesterdayoncemore or Onyx.

Yesterdayoncemore began her career in her native Ireland and became a stakes winner in her U.S. debut last summer at Del Mar. She joined trainer Patrick Biancone’s barn at Gulfstream late last fall and exits a solid second-place finish behind older rivals going 1 1/16 miles on the turf two weeks earlier. She’ll carry high weight of 123 pounds in the Portofino Bay under the allowance conditions of the race.

Onyx won a pair of stakes over the local course last summer and fall, but is winless in three starts since returning from a six-month layoff in March. She showed big improvement in her latest outing when rallying to finish fifth against older rivals in the Ginger Punch.

R U Royalty and Don’t Be Khozy figure as major players along with Sound Machine if the race moves to the dirt.

R U Royalty won an offthe-turf optional claimer and starter allowance over a sloppy track in her last start, defeating Days of Spring, who also is in this field. Don’t Be Khozy registered a pair of one-sided main-track victories within a 10-day span in January before having her modest win streak snapped when finishing fourth last Saturday in the Azalea at Gulfstream.