While favorite Hoosier Philly toiled to no avail down the long Fair Grounds stretch, Godolphin homebred Pretty Mischievous took charge from pacesetter Miracle in the final furlong and edged ahead late to capture the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2) Saturday.
The daughter of Spendthrift Farm's leading sire Into Mischief. Pretty Mischievous and Miracle separated themselves from four overmatched rivals through the lane and then battled to the finish line. Pretty Mischievous prevailed by three-quarters of length.
Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, Pretty Mischievous tracked from third, then second, early as Miracle laid down pedestrian fractions of :25.02 and :48.85 through the first half mile. Angling to the three path Pretty Mischievous to the three path around the turn, she fought nearly every step through the lane to secure the narrow victory.
Pretty Mischievous finished the 1 1/16-mile trip in 1:45.15 on a fast track and returned $18.20 for the win.
Previously unbeaten Hoosier Philly, making her highly anticipated season debut, finished third as the 2-5 favorite, 7 3/4 lengths behind Miracle. She bobbled at the start, raced in last place down the backstretch under Edgar Morales, then angled six wide for the stretch run but could not keep pace with the top two.
Trained by Brendan Walsh, Pretty Mischievous earned her first graded win and second consecutive stakes win: She came into the Rachel Alexandra off a victory in the Untapable on Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds. Her record improves to 4-0-1 from five career starts and earnings of $421,310.
The race is a qualifier for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 5 at Churchill Downs with the top five finishers awarded points on a 50-20-15-10-5 basis.
Kentucky-bred Pretty Mischievous was produced by Grade 1 winner Pretty City Dancer, by Tapit.
RACHEL ALEXANDRA QUOTES
Tyler Gaffalione, jockey, Pretty Mischievous, (winner): “Before she ran Brendan told me we had a really special one in the barn. She keeps improving physically and mentally. Today, I sat in a perfect spot and let Johnny (Velazquez) go on Miracle while Luis (Saez and Vahva) tracked inside.”
Brendan Walsh, trainer, Pretty Mischievous (winner): “She never missed a beat from her first start at 2 until now. We knew we'd have to give her a rest at some point because we didn't want to go to the well too often. We were quietly confident she'd be good enough and today we found out she is. Now, we'll see how she comes out of things, talk things over with the ownership team, and get her to be 110% on the big day in May.”
John Velazquez, jockey, Miracle (runner-up): “She was in the perfect spot today. It was the first time going two real turns and she handled things well.”
Edgar Morales, jockey, Hoosier Philly (third): “I think the stumble at the start cost a lot. I had nowhere to go when they were going so slow. Every horse is going to finish going :25. It's part of the game. It is what it is. It was her first race back and she was faced was a lot of adversity. She's always in the bridle, but I had to take a hold of her because everyone was going so slow. “
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