BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-bred R Disaster achieved graded stakes-winning status with a thorough domination of the $250,000 Gallant Bloom (Grade 2) during the Belmont at Big A meet at Aqueduct Saturday. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., the 4-year-old daughter of Ocala Stud stallion Awesome Slew led from the start then drew off in the stretch to win the six-and-a-half-furlong contest by three-and-a-half lengths against seven other fillies and mares, 3-years-old and older.
Ridden from post one under jockey Jose Ortiz, R Disaster assumed a clear lead shortly after the start and had two lengths on 9-2 second choice Senza Parole and longshot Patricia Ann as she easily finished the first two furlongs in :22.10. Patricia Ann got within a length early in the turn while Florida-bred All Class made a three-wide move into third but R Disaster began to pull away again after a half mile in :44.73 under little encouragement from Ortiz. R Disaster finished up in 1:14.78 on the fast track. Patricia Ann was second, two lengths ahead of Sterling Silver in third. Impel, Senza Parole, Scalable, All Class and Street View completed the order of finish.
“She broke very alert and obviously she’s always very good from the gate. We got the one hole – that helps a lot. She was traveling very nice every step of the way and she was much the best. I give her all the credit today – the connections, Saffie… I was just the passenger. Just break good, make sure to call her at the right time. She was traveling very easy and I was very happy throughout the race.”
R Disaster paid $4.24 to win.
R Disaster has now won seven of 12 career starts with five seconds while earning $663,680. A winner of three of her last four and four of six in 2025, she is owned by Rich Averill’s Averill Racing LLC, Two Eight Racing and Anthony Mattera.
“Didn’t see that coming. We’re always nervous, but when we saw even money, that New York money is always right, so we’re happy to follow that,” Mattera said. “You always say, ‘well if she throws a clunker today, she has already done so much for us.’ We’re not big-time owners, and she’s a horse of a lifetime for me.
“It’s incredible. Saffie is very transparent with us where he tells us where he thinks she has the best chance to win,” he added. “We want to go out there and win stakes races, and this was impressive today. Jose did a great job. This is a dream come true. I grew up in south Jersey, so to come up here and win feels great.”
Her first two races of the year came at Gulfstream Park, starting with a three-length victory in a first level, $25,000 optional claiming going six furlongs on Jan. 18 then was second to Florida-bred Nic’s Style in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie on March. 8. She next traveled to Aqueduct for the Grade 3 Vagrancy where she was second to stablemate Haulin Ice on May 5. She won the $96,000 Rehoboth at Delaware Park on May 31, was second to Florida-bred Halina’s Forte in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss at Saratoga Race Course on July 20 before winning an upper level, $100,000 optional claiming over a sloppy six furlongs on Aug. 20 at Saratoga, winning by a length ahead of Florida-bred All Class.
R Disaster is out of Making Havoc, by Gottcha Gold and was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud and J. Michael O’Farrell Jr. Making Havoc has two winners from two starters including Dragging Main, by Greenpointcrusader. She has an unnamed 2-year-old filly by Ocala Stud stallion Adios Charlie, and an unnamed yearling filly by Ocala Stud stallion Colonel Liam. She was bred to Colonel Liam in 2025.
R Disaster is the 63rd Florida-bred winner of an open stakes race in 2025 and the 18 graded stakes-winning Florida-bred. Later Saturday, Live Oak Plantation homebred Ultimate Love won the Selima Stakes at Laurel Park and Florida-bred Lennilu won the Leinster Hollywood Beach at Gulfstream Park for 65 total open stakes victories for Florida-breds in 2025. Those figures eclipse the 64 open stakes victories and 13 graded stakes wins by Florida-breds in all of 2024.
Return to the September 27 issue of Wire to Wire
