Joe Sharp reaches 1,000 North American wins at Ellis Park
Trainer Joe Sharp notched his 1,000th North American victory in Race 6 on Friday at Ellis Park when Master Game took a seven-furlong claiming tilt under Tyler Gaffalione.
Sharp entered the day with 998 wins, and brought his total to 999 when Mercy Warren captured Race 3 at Saratoga Race Course. Within one hour, Sharp earned the milestone victory at Ellis with his own Master Game, a chestnut son of Mastery.
Sharp said it was satisfying to reach the milestone with his Ellis-based team, which is headed by longtime assistant Marvin Alvarez.
“It’s great, and I was happy to have it happen down there at Ellis because Marvin has been there with me since the beginning,” said Sharp, who watched the race on his iPad with his family from the playground at Saratoga. “He was my first groom, and now he’s my assistant. I think it meant as much to him as it did to me because he’s been there since win number one. We built this together.
“My team of employees has always been there for me,” Sharp continued. “My family has always been there for me, and we’ve had a great group of owners who have been supportive since Day One. That’s everything – just them having the trust to place horses where you need to, and allowing you to replace and get new horses and keep entrusting you with their investments. That’s the key to anybody’s success.”
Sharp, a 40-year-old native of Martinsburg, W.V., began training in 2014 after working for trainers Mike Maker and Michael Stidham, and earned his first win with Holiday Drama on September 10, 2014 at Kentucky Downs.
Sharp, who is married to retired jockey Rosie Napravnik, has since enjoyed prosperity at racing’s highest levels, led by a Grade 1 triumph with Girvin in the 2017 Haskell at Monmouth Park. Girvin also provided Sharp with a pair of Grade 2 wins that year at Fair Grounds Race Course in the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby.
The momentum has been strong for Sharp this year, blazing into the Saratoga meet off of training titles at Churchill Downs and Fair Grounds this spring. Last year, he was also the leading trainer at Kentucky Downs in a three-way tie. As of the milestone, Sharp has seven wins at Saratoga this meet, led by allowance-level scores with Gardiner, Bosun, Gilmore, Gilded Craken and the aforementioned Mercy Warren. Sharp is supported in New York by his local assistant Lorita Lindemann.
“This has been a meet with one of those starts where you kind of have to pinch yourself,” Sharp said. “I know how hard it is to win anywhere, especially here. Our team works hard, and the team deserves it. I’m just lucky enough to be supported by all of them. They lift me up and keep us rolling. It’s nice to see them enjoy the rewards.”
Sharp’s horses have earned nearly $50 million in combined purses, with more than 1,500 additional on-the-board finishes. He enjoyed a career-best year in terms of earnings in 2024 when his trainees won 94 races and more than $6 million in purses. At NYRA, Sharp has won two editions of the Troy with Shore Runner in 2015 and Fast Boat in 2021 [then a Grade 3].
Sharp said his first graded stakes win with Sandbar in the 2015 Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Handicap at Pimlico Race Course is among his most treasured victories.
“I was just reflecting on that with Rosie and I remember when Marvin and I shipped for my first stakes at Pimlico and we shared a room at the Econo Lodge,” Sharp said, with a laugh. “That was our first graded win, and we’ve gone all over the place. It’s taken all kinds to get it done, and we’ve been fortunate enough to have horses at the top level and win big races along the way. We also keep it competitive and fun with the day-in and day-out horses at all levels. It’s been great.”
Live racing resumes Saturday at Saratoga with a lucrative 13-race card, headlined by the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney in Race 11, a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic. The card also featured the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special in Race 3, the Grade 1, $750,000 FanDuel Fourstardave in Race 8 [“Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile], Grade 1, $750,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational in Race 9 and the Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster in Race 10. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern with gates opening at 10 a.m.
Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.
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