HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida (CMC) — Barbadian trainer Saffie Joseph Jr extended his dominance at Gulfstream Park on Saturday when he swept both added-money outings on the day’s 11-race programme.

Four-to-one choice Positive Review captured the US$75 000 Wildcat Red Handicap in race 12, to give Joseph his first win, before Batucada, another 4-1 bet, smashed the three-year-old and upward fillies and mares in the US$95 000 Powder Break Stakes in race 12, giving the 36-year-old his second success.

Both wins came courtesy of jockey Edgard Zayas.

Joseph leads the trainers’ championship with 42 wins — 17 clear of his nearest challenger Jose D’Angelo — in the campaign which wraps up September 29.

Going a mile for the three-year-olds in the Wildcat Red, favourite Black
Belt and 2-1 chance Shaq Diesel battled for the lead through fractions of 24.30 seconds for the quarter and 46.66 for the half, as Zayas stalked with
Positive Review in third.

Zayas brought the five-year-old dark bay to challenge on the turn before getting to the front in the final sixteenth and reaching the wire 1¼ lengths clear in a time of one minute, 36.95 seconds.

Meanwhile, Batucada was a non-factor for most of the mile and 70-yard trip, before Zayas rallied the four-year-old filly at the top stretch and pulled away impressively to win by 6¼ lengths in 1:40.11 seconds.

Wide West and Swoonatra sprinted clear at the break to haul the field through sharp fractions of 23.02 and 45.82, Angel Nadeshiko and Empress Ellie chasing hile Batucada was well off the pace.

Starved for racing room amid traffic on the final turn, Zayas finally got free on the outside when the race turned for home, and the filly dominated the stretch run without a challenger.