C2 Racing Stable, Agave Racing Stable and Ken Reimer's reigning champion sprint mare Soul of an Angel (Atreides) breezed four furlongs Sunday at Gulfstream ahead of an intended tilt at the $20-million GI Saudi Cup Feb. 22.
Trained by Championship Meet leader Saffie Joseph Jr., 6-year-old was timed in :47.80 seconds on the main track, ranking 13th of 70 horses. It was her third work since finishing third in the Rampart Stakes Dec. 26.
“She had a good half-mile work. We put her in company to pick it up a bit,” Joseph said. “She came out of the last race well. The last one was a prep for this one. She's in good order. We'll find out in a day or two if she's going to get in or not.”
The Saudi Cup is contested at 1,800 meters, approximately 1 1/8 miles, around one turn at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“We're still kind of waiting a bit to see if we get in to Saudi. They told us we were likely invited, and then said we were on the reserve list,” Joseph said. “She's the third reserve right now, so we're waiting to see what happens.”
Soul of an Angel earned the Eclipse Award as North America's champion female sprinter of 2024 after finishing third or better in eight of 11 starts with four wins highlighted by the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Nov. 2 at Del Mar. Soul of an Angel earned an automatic berth in the race for her victory in Gulfstream's GIII Princess Rooney Invitational Sept. 21.
“That's a great achievement for her,” Joseph said. “We're very thankful to have our first champion.”
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