This Saturday morning (November 22), driver Joseph Fiorello will don his designed racing silks and put his undefeated winning streak on the line in the Florida Stallion Stakes on Sunshine Meadows Equestrian Village in Delray Beach, Florida.
Most racing drivers start their careers in their teens and see more losses than wins at the start, and learn more with each race they enter.
At 49 years old, Joseph Fiorello is a rookie in the business, but he is also undefeated in his first three prize money starts. On Saturday he will again ride Prairie Puma (Royel Millennium-Cat Lady-Arturo), a three-year-old filly, who, like Fiorello, is also going for her fourth victory in a row.
The Florida Stallion Stakes races are organized by the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association and are for two- and three-year-old trotters and pacers, with each division offering a $6,000 purse. The races start at 11 a.m., parking and admission are free and fans must bring their own lawn chairs.
But how does a digital creator for ViaMar Health in Delray Beach go from casually owning a horse to going undefeated in his first three rides?
“After purchasing my first racehorse with a group in 2016,” Fiorelo explained, “I met the great horseman Jerry Silverman at Sunshine Meadows. I had never been around horses before, but sitting with Jerry on the deck of the training facility and listening to his passion for the sport, I was immediately drawn in.
I went to the barn before work,” Fiorello said. “Just to watch the horses, and it wasn’t long before they put me to work. When I started jogging and started training horses and watching racing more closely, I developed a huge respect for what the professional riders do: the timing, the patience, the strategy.
What started as an interesting hobby has become a full-time obsession for Fiorello.
“My original goal was to learn how to train horses,” Fiorello said. “And I got my trainer’s license just before COVID, but after training and qualifying my first horse, I definitely caught the bug and set a goal to get my amateur license.
The closure of Pompano Park slowed everything down, Fiorello added. “But I stayed involved, especially when I went jogging and training at Sunshine Meadows with Tony Dinges.”
This past year, an opportunity arose for Fiorello, which ultimately led him to sit behind the wheel aboard Prairie Puma.
“While Tony was staying in Kentucky this winter and owner Dein Spriggs was out of town, they gave me the opportunity to work with Prairie Puma, which helped me continue to make progress.”
Prairie Puma is trained by Nick Coblentz for Jupiter owner and amateur riding champion Dein Spriggs. The filly won five of seven starts last year and has five wins in 14 starts this season, a lifetime fastest of 1:51.4 at Lexington, Kentucky’s Red Mile.
Unlike her previous three victories, Saturday’s $6,000 Florida Stallion Stakes will be a cakewalk for Prairie Puma and Fiorello, as the race is a walkover with only Prairie Puma the lone horse in her division.
For Fiorello, he loves being on the race track with a horse.
“I’ve always had a part of me that’s looking for a little adventure,” Fiorello said. “But sitting behind a racehorse brings out something completely different – the connection, the speed, the movement – it’s exciting and great fun.
“In the future I will go where I can gain experience and work on my amateur driver’s license. Most likely I will have more opportunities in Kentucky, and even if it is just once, I would like to drive in the Meadowlands.
“Ultimately, my goal is to become an amateur racing driver because it gives me a way to raise money and awareness for my River Run Racehorse Retirement center for retired racehorses.” Fiorello added. “If more opportunities arise down the road, I’m open to them, but my heart is truly in training and supporting the mission of River Run Racehorse Retirement.
Another special project for Fiorello was establishing its River Run Racehorse Retirement, which is located in Sunshine Meadows and takes in retired or unraced racehorses and helps rehabilitate them for life after racing.
“At River Run Racehorse Retirement,” Fiorello explained. “We are committed to providing retired and non-racing racehorses with a safe and meaningful transition to life beyond the track. Our mission is to ensure that every horse receives compassionate care and the opportunity to thrive in their next chapter.”
For more information about River Run Racehorse Pension, click here.
It’s safe to say that Joseph Fiorello has been bitten by the running bug and the results have been very positive. After Saturday’s walkover win with Prairie Puma, there will be the Florida Breeders Stakes on Saturday, November 29, which will conclude the 2025 season in Florida and hopefully continue Fiorello’s undefeated streak.
For full race entries, click here: American Trotting Entries
Through Steve Wolffor the Florida Chapter of USHWA
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