It’s Joe Shiesty for the score in Big Daddy
Turfway Park stakes recap by publicist Kevin Kerstein (Coady Media photos)
FLORENCE, Ky. (Sunday, March 8, 2026) – Foster Family Racing, Lonnie Reynolds, Vicki Mills and Donald Coomes’ Joe Shiesty went gate-to-wire to dominate Saturday’s fifth running of the $124,700 Big Daddy Stakes (Listed) at Turfway Park Racing & Gaming by 6 ¼ lengths.
Trained by the pride of Owensboro and Utica, Ky., Eric Foster, and ridden by Fernando De La Cruz, Joe Shiesty completed six furlongs in 1:10.44 over the fast Tapeta surface. Making his first start at age 5, it was Joe Shiesty second straight stakes victory, third in his last six starts and fourth in his career.
Joe Shiesty was immediately sent to the front under De La Cruz and cruised through a brisk opening quarter mile in :22.25 and a half mile in :45.46. Turning into the lane, Joe Shiesty built an insurmountable lead and easily held off the late charge of favored Arrest Me Red.
Cinister Cix completed the trifecta and was followed by G T Five Hundred,Runnin’ Rocket, I’m a Gambler (IRE) and Mischievous Angel.
Sent off as the 2-1 second choice, Joe Shiesty paid $6.74 to win.
As if the storyline didn’t write itself, the Big Daddy Stakes is named in honor of the late Rick Leigh, a longtime racing official and former racing secretary at Turfway Park who died in 2020 at age 73. Leigh was an avid Cleveland Browns fan – making the victory by Joe Shiesty, named after Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, a fitting bit of AFC North irony.
With the victory, Joe Shiesty improved his record to seven wins from 18 starts with purse earnings of $820,977. His victories include Turfway Park’s Holiday Cheer in his prior start and Churchill Downs’ Mighty Beau last June and the 2024 William Walker.
The gelding, sold for $16,000 as a short yearling at Keeneland’s 2022 January sale, has competed at all five Kentucky tracks. He also was third by a total of a neck in last fall’s Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland.
Live racing resumes Wednesday at Turfway Park for the start of another four-day week with a first post of 5:55 p.m.
