TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – “This race is going to be crucial for where we go after so it is very important.”
The desired destination is the Kentucky Derby but, before they can race
there, Saffie Joseph Jr. and his horse, Chance It, hope to perform well at the
Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday.
“You always hope that Chance It shows up and runs the race and, if he
runs his race, we feel he is as good as any horse,” said Joseph. “It is ironic
that we are here in Tampa because this is where I had my first run in America,
Tampa.”
Joseph, who is from Barbados, is a horse trainer like his father, Saffie Joseph Sr.
“My dad, he was a trainer. Where we keep our horses in Barbados is
where we live and you go out there every day and play with the horses and you
watch the grooms take care of them,” said Joseph.
He has memories of those horses from when he was a toddler.
“From about three or four,” he recalled, “just being around the barn and taking care of them and the grooms would put me on their backs to ride them. They were not supposed to do that but they knew I wanted to have fun when I was young. Those are the memories, basically just always around horses. That is all I think about is horses.”
He moved to the United States in 2011 to pursue his passion for horse training but he admitted his father had his doubts.
“He knew it was difficult and he was like, ‘Do you know what you are getting into?’ and I guess, at the time, you are thinking you are young. You are kind of thinking a little crazy and you are just thinking anything is possible,” said Joseph. “But, after like five or six years, it was not going right. I mean we were doing well but we were not getting enough horses. We did not have the numbers and I did not know if we were going to make it.”
Despite his initial concerns, Joseph Sr. saw the potential in his son
and he encouraged him to stick with it.
“He was like, ‘You are all in now. You got to go. You cannot give up.’ It has worked out,” Joseph said.
He’s currently on the cusp of qualifying for the Kentucky Derby with Chance It.
“It is a dream,” Joseph said. “And that is why I came over from Barbados for these dreams and, just to be here, we are thankful and we hope that [Chance It] can continue and show how good he is because we really believe he is a good horse. He is just a different kind of horse. The way he does things, he makes hard things look easy, doesn’t seem to get tired, and has a high cruising speed and can carry over a distance of ground.”
Those elements may be the elements needed to catapult Chance It to the next stage but, regardless of the outcome, Joseph is thrilled to be along for the ride.
“I am living the dream.”
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