Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers and jockeys as they travel the Road to the 149th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve May 6 at Churchill Downs.

This week’s installment features trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., whose Lord Miles produced the greatest upset of the Kentucky Derby prep season with a 59-1 shocker in the April 8 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct.

The 100 points awarded to the Wood winner ensured Lord Miles a berth in the Derby starting gate. The son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin had lost three straight races after coasting in his Nov. 19 debut for breeder and owner Vegso Racing Stable. Before the Wood, Lord Miles had finished third in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, sixth in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes and fifth in the Grade 3 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby.

Joseph, 36, a native of Barbados, is a third-generation horseman whose primary base is at Gulfstream Park. He will be making his third Derby appearance. He discussed Lord Miles' sudden emergence, his Derby aspirations and his increasingly strong operation during a question-and-answer session conducted on behalf of America's Best Racing.

PEDULLA: What were your thoughts when you entered Lord Miles in the Wood?

JOSEPH: We were just taking a chance with a horse that we thought had ability. He had been inconsistent in his races. So, this was just one more chance to take a chance. He hadn’t really shown what he was capable of.

Lord Miles gets up to win the Wood Memorial. (Chelsea Durand/NYRA)

PEDULLA: Why had he struggled before this?

JOSEPH: In his debut, he dropped back and came with a very good run. We put blinkers on him in the Holy Bull and it didn't work out. It had an adverse effect. He ran his worst race basically. He drew the one post at Tampa Bay Downs, which is a compromised post position. He actually ran on the last eighth of a mile pretty decent in that race, so we thought we would give it one more try.

PEDULLA: What does it mean to be going back to the Derby?

JOSEPH: You have to qualify by getting points, so it’s huge. Apart from us, it's important for the owners. They’ve won some big races but never been to the Derby.

PEDULLA: Is it your goal to get to the Derby every year?

JOSEPH: The goal is to win the Derby.

PEDULLA: Do you feel you get a better understanding of what it takes to win each time you go?

JOSEPH: Yeah. The important thing is to get in there. Once you get in there, eventually we are going to win it. It seems we are getting the right horses to get us there. As far as winning it, it's going to take care of itself, sooner or later.

PEDULLA: What did it mean to you to repeat as the top trainer at Gulfstream Park's championship meet?

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JOSEPH: It was important to me and the whole team. It gives you a bit of confidence. It proves it was no fluke. We came right back and had a consistent meet again. This year, it was a much closer race. Most of the meet there was a two-win separation. In the last few weeks, we were able to gain some momentum and win it. He’s obviously one of the most consistent trainers in the history of racing and one of the most accomplished. To be competing against him, it's an honor. It makes it more special.

PEDULLA: What are your goals as a trainer?

JOSEPH: My goal is to get better and to make the people around us better. Once you strive for that, everything else will take care of itself as far as the winners go. Obviously, without the owners, you can't do it. That’s the key, the main ingredient. The owners provide the horses, and the horses are what you need.

PEDULLA: Is your father still part of the operation?

JOSEPH: He comes out, he watches. He enjoys it. It's his life. He grew up watching it his whole life in Barbados. It wasn’t on this scale.

PEDULLA: How did Lord Miles come out of the Wood?

JOSEPH: He came out of it well. He shipped back to Florida. He had an easy first week back and then we'll pick up the pace.

PEDULLA: Were you shocked by the Wood?

JOSEPH: Shocked? I believe the horse has the talent, honestly. We wouldn't have put him in the race if we didn't believe it was possible. Shocked? No. It was a huge upset. I believe there is more to come from him. He’s a horse that needs to learn to race more into the bridle. In his works, he’s very into the bridle. So it's been a puzzle trying to figure him out basically. Ability-wise, he has the ability. He’s shown it in the morning. I'm more relieved than anything because you kind of start doubting yourself.