Pace makes graded race for Navajo Warrior, Peach Tie
Score in Pimlico Special, Miss Preakness
Frank Vespe
May 15, 2026
Pace makes the race.
It’s the oldest racing adage, and it was never truer than in the two graded stakes on Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan undercard at Laurel Park.
First, an early speed duel set up the Grade 3 Miss Preakness for the shortening-up Peach Tie. Then in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special, Navajo Warrior doled out moderate fractions on the front end early before rebuffing a bid and pulling away to win by almost three lengths.
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“When he made the lead, we were happy enough that he was there,” said Navajo Warrior’s trainer, Saffie Joseph, Jr. “I mean, we couldn’t tell you that we thought we were gonna be on the lead. I thought the four would be on the lead but left the race to [jockey Flavien Prat] to ride his own race. He broke well, and he made the initiative decision to go ahead and make the running, so it worked out good.”
It was the first stakes win – and, in fact, first stakes start – for Navajo Warrior, a five-year-old Candy Ride gelding. Since transferring into the Joseph barn for new owners, he has won five of seven starts.
“We paid quite a good sum, but he was coming up. He had run a fast Ragozin figure for [previous trainer Tim] Yakteen, he ran like a four, which is almost, you think it’s fake, right?” Joseph explained. “We got the ownership group together, we got four people, so that if it didn’t work out, nobody took such a big loss. We figured we’ll roll the dice and trust the numbers.”
In the Special, Navajo Warrior was away alertly from the second stall and quickly made the lead while fending off token pressure from last year’s Special winner, Awesome Aaron.
The early fractions were 24.60 for the opener, 48.40 for the half-mile, and 1:12.43 for six furlongs.
Rounding the far turn, jockey Ismerio Villalobs, aboard Maryland-bred, Mike Trombetta-trained Maclean’s Rook, put his mount into gear, and the Maclean’s Music gelding made a bold move along the outside to reach virtually even terms with the leader as the field turned for home.
But when Prat asked Navajo Warrior for more, he still had plenty. Navajo Warrior shook free of Maclean’s Rook and went on to win by 2 ¾ lengths, stopping the timer in 1:56.61 for 1 3/16 miles on a fast main track. Maclean’s Rook held second, three parts of a length ahead of San Siro.
Navajo Warrior paid $4.60 to win as the post time favorite. The exacta returned $11.70 for a one-dollar wager.
He has nine wins from 17 career starts and earnings north of $450,000 and is owned by BAG Racing Stables, Miller Racing, LLCDr. Derek K. Paul, Mathis Stable, LLC, Paul Braverman, and Timothy Pinch.
The long-term goal for Navajo Warrior – long-term as in getting into next year – is the $20 million Saudi Cup.
“Even if you run fifth, it’s a million dollars,” Joseph said.
Several races earlier in the six-furlong Miss Preakness, the story was the opposite. Two scratches left a field of five, and three of them – 3-2 Little Miss Curlin, 6-5 Lights Out Leni, and 7-2 Tessellate – were active early.
Little Miss Curlin led by a head at each of the first two calls, the quarter in 22.04 seconds and the half in 46.13. Peach Tie, having run three straight races at either seven furlongs or a mile, was nearly five lengths back after a half but beginning to rev up a run.
She came wide in the lane and powered home to win by 1 ½ lengths in 1:11.87 for six furlongs. Tessellate was second, almost four ahead of Little Miss Curlin.
“When we turned for home, I could see two of them were coming back to me,” said winning rider Sheldon Russell. “I hadn’t really asked her for everything yet. I’m sort of just trying to wait until she gave me the lead change, because she’s a little rusty on the lead change sometimes, and it’s probably because she’s trying so hard.”
Once she did, she kicked in nicely. Bred by Brereton Jones and owned by his estate, Peach Tie is 6-for-8 in her career, including three stakes wins, though this was her first graded triumph. She has earned nearly $350,000.
“To be honest with you, I leave a lot of it up to Sheldon,” said trainer Brittany Russell. “We can handicap these races until we’re blue in the face, but nine times out of 10, when the gates open, it could go completely sideways. So I’m just glad I left it up to him.”
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