HALLANDALE BEACH -Trainer David Fawkes will be otherwise occupied at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York Saturday, but the veteran trainer with a long list of stakes successes on his resume, both in South Florida and elsewhere, will be very well represented in the three stakes at Gulfstream Park.

    Fawkes will be on hand at The Spa to saddle multiple graded stakes-winner Reef Runner for a start in the Gr. I Jaipur, a 5 ½-furlong turf stakes on the undercard of the Belmont Stakes. He won’t be present at Gulfstream to watch Pure Class step up in class for the $125,000 Big Drama Handicap; Nickel C face nine other 3-year-olds in search of his first stakes score in the $125,000 Not Surprising; nor Nyfive try to win her third race in a row in the $125,000 Martha Washington.

    Reef Runner is regarded as one of the top contenders in the Jaipur, and Fawkes is confident his stablemates will be ready to offer the best performances of their respective careers at Gulfstream.

    Robert Mooney and Jeffrey Siskin’s Pure Class is coming off a dazzling 3 ½-length front-running score in a seven-furlong $35,000 claiming races in his first start since being claimed for $35,000. The son of The Big Beast was bred and formerly owned by Reef Runner’s connections, Alex and Joanne Lieblong, and trained by Fawkes before being claimed away for $62,500 last fall. When he surfaced in a $35,000 claiming race, Fawkes was quick to drop a slip to claim him back for his current owners.

    “I lost him for $62,500. He ran two or three times, and they dropped him in for $35,000 and I took him back. He got beat, but I ran him back three weeks later and he ran a 90 Beyer number. He ran huge. He ran a big number on the Thoro-Graf sheets,” Fawkes said. “We’re trying to see if we can get him there. The distance is right. He loves seven-eighths. That’s his distance. Edwin’s won four on him and he’s riding him again.”

    Edwin Gonzalez, who was aboard for the victorious homecoming May 10 in a seven-furlong $35,000 claiming race, has the return call on Pure Class, who will carry 118 pounds, six fewer than co-highweights Concrete Glory and Chrome Ghost.

    “We found a really good spot and he ran a really good race, obviously,” Fawkes said. “After that, he’s been doing so good, I thought, ‘well, if ever there’s a chance to win a little something with him, maybe this is the spot.’”

    Purse Class has been priced at 10-1 on the morning line in the field of seven assembled for the Race 10 feature. Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained stakes veteran Concrete Glory has been tabbed ast 5-2 in the morning line with Fausto Gutierrez-trained Rolando rated second at 3-1.

    A victory at Gulfstream Saturday would be especially satisfying for Fawkes, who trained Big Drama during a career (2008-2011) that included a victory in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs, followed by an Eclipse Award as North America’s champion sprinter.

    LAUREL, MD – For the fifth time overall and first since 2022, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen earned the top prize of $50,000 in 1/ST Racing’s $100,000 trainer bonus offered to horsemen for their participation in stakes races over Preakness weekend, May 15 and 16, at Laurel Park.

    Asmussen started horses in eight different stakes over the weekend including Chip Honcho, who finished third in the $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1). The Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown was being contested for the 151st time and first at Laurel due to the rebuilding of Pimlico Race Course.

    Obliteration in Saturday’s $150,000 Chick Lang gave Asmussen his seventh career victory in the race and lone win over the two days. He also ran second with Faust in the Maryland Sprint (G3) and Benedetta in the $125,000 Skipat and fifth with Thebabeslayer in the $100,000 James W. Murphy.

    On Friday Asmussen had Little Miss Curlin run third in the $150,000 Miss Preakness (G3), Duke of Duval finish fourth in the historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) and Braken Poppa wind up seventh in the $300,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan (G2).

    Asmussen finished with a total of 39 points, just two more than Maryland-based Graham Motion. North America’s all-time leader with 11,299 wins and counting, Asmussen previously earned the top bonus in 2017, the inaugural year, 2018, 2021 and 2022.

    To be eligible for the bonus, trainers had to run a minimum of five horses in the 15 stakes, seven graded, worth $4.2 million in purses offered during Preakness weekend. Points were accumulated for finishing first (10), second (seven), third (five), fourth (three) and fifth through last (one).

    The trainer with the most points earned $50,000, followed by $25,000 for second, $12,000 for third, $7,000 for fourth, $4,000 for fifth $2,000 for sixth. With four trainers qualified, bonus money for places and five and six reverted back to 1/ST.

    This marked the 10th consecutive year the trainer bonus program has been offered. Brad Cox (2019), Mike Maker (2020), Motion (2023), Cherie DeVaux (2024) and Brendan Walsh (2025) have also earned the top prize.

    Motion registered two stakes wins on the weekend – Warming in the $150,000 Gallorette (G3) and Turf Star in the Murphy on Saturday. He also had Cruise the Nile run third in the $250,000 Dinner Party (G3), Ribaltagaia finish seventh in the Gallorette and Proton end up fourth in the Murphy. On Friday, Brat Pack and Siouxse respectively were third and fourth in the $125,000 Hilltop.

    Saffie Joseph Jr., whose main strings are at Gulfstream Park and its Palm Meadows training center in South Florida, was third with 29 points, one more than Laurel Park-based Brittany Russell. Joseph won the Black-Eyed Susan with My Miss Mo and Pimlico Special with Navajo Warrior and was second with Tessellate in the Miss Preakness on Friday, and had Harrow run fifth in the Dinner Party and Bull by the Horns run sixth in the Preakness.

    Maryland’s leading overall trainer each of the past three years, Russell won the Miss Preakness with Peach Tie and Hilltop with Coach Mazzula Friday, also finishing third in the $100,000 The Very One with Lost and Found and fifth in the $125,000 Allaire du Pont Distaff with Complexity Jane. On Saturday she was sixth with Falcon Jet in the $100,000 Sir Barton and 10th with 9-2 favorite Taj Mahal in the Preakness.

    Russell earned the top prize in bonus money totaling $50,000 offered for trainers having the most points in non-stakes races during Preakness weekend. Points were accumulated in similar fashion with $25,000 going to the leader, $10,000 to second, $7,500 to third, $4,000 to fourth, $2,500 to fifth and $1,000 to sixth.

    Trainers needed to have a minimum of three starters to qualify for the bonus. Russell was first with 42 points, followed by Michael Stidham (34), Jamie Ness (19), John Salzman Jr. (17), Chad Summers (16) and Hugh McMahon (12).

    Summers, owner Al Gold and jockey Paco Lopez each earned their first Triple Crown race victory with Napoleon Solo in the Preakness.