Joseph trio key in turf stakes

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will be running 3-year-olds the length of the East Coast on Saturday, with Skippylong-stocking in the Belmont Stakes in New York and three others set to start in the co-featured stakes Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Treasure King makes his first start for the barn in the $75,000 Not Surprising for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf, and Sister Lou Ann and Miss You Ella go for Joseph in the $75,000 Martha Washington for fillies at the same distance on the grass. The stakes highlight a 14-race card that gets under way at 11:45 a.m. Eastern.

The Not Surprising drew eight, including California Frolic, winner of the $75,000 English Channel on May 7 at Gulfstream. Treasure King is the other stakes winner in the field, having won the $110,000 Sophomore Turf in March at Tampa Bay Downs. He had been based in New York with trainer Todd Pletcher, but was recently sent back to Florida for Mathis Stable.

“He’s a Florida-bred and there’s a couple of stakes down here they wanted to target – one on Tapeta and one on the grass,” Joseph said. “Hopefully, he puts up a good showing. I haven’t had him long. Both of his works have been decent. He should be competitive in this spot.”

Treasure King will start from post 6 under Tyler Conner.

“In his previous races, he’s come from off the pace,” Joseph said.

California Frolic used the same tactics for a neck win in the English Channel. It was his first start on grass. Edgar Perez has the mount from post 5.

The Not Surprising field includes Bob Marco and Old Town Road, who were second and third in the English Channel. Klugman is a son of Practical Joke and a half-brother to Harpers First Ride, a Grade 3 winner of nearly $700,000.

In the Martha Washington, Miss You Ella will be making her first start for Joseph after being based in New York with trainer Chad Brown. She ran at Gulfstream this past winter and won a maiden race on Tapeta and was third on turf in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant. Miss You Ella races for Wonder Stables, Madaket Stables, and Golconda Stable.

“She’s worked twice for us,” Joseph said. “They sent her down looking to target this kind of stakes. She’s also run on the Tapeta, which is good because there’s a chance we get rained off.”

Conner has the mount from post 5.

Sister Lou Ann makes her first start since December, when she was second by a halflength in the $75,000 Wait a While in her turf debut at Gulfstream.

“She’s a nice filly,” Joseph said. “She ran second in the stakes for us, had some time off, and is just getting back started. Obviously, we think she’s got a lot of class about her. We think she’s good enough to run in a stakes to get started.”

Leonel Reyes has the mount from the rail for Ken Ramsey, who bred Sister Lou Ann with is late wife, Sarah Ramsey. The filly is out of Granny Mc’s Kitten, a stakes winner of more than $300,000.