Bloodlines Presented by Caracaro: Into Mischief Works His Magic With Sugar Swirl 1-2 Finish

The Grade 3 Sugar Swirl Stakes at Gulfstream Park provided another example for leading sire Into Mischief (by Harlan's Holiday) to show the speed upgrade he offers, as he was sire of the first two finishers. The winner was first-time stakes winner Center Aisle, and the second-place finisher was multiple G2 winner Frank's Rockette, who also was second in the G1 Spinaway and Frizette in 2019  as a 2-year-old. Into Mischief's ability to sire quality speed in his offspring has made him the most expensive stallion in North America and one of its most popular.

The broad-bodied bay lends speed to nearly any mating, whether it's a distinguished family or not, but Into Mischief's contribution seems particularly effective with good lines that have just gotten stale, or faintly lacking in speed for the finish.

Bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farm, Center Aisle is out of a mare of distinguished pedigree that had produced modest results until this filly came along. The marketplace knew it immediately, paying $165,000 for her as a weanling at the Keeneland November sale in 2017. The emerging excellence of Center Aisle brought a bigger price of $450,000 at the September yearling sale, and her final presentation at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Florida March auction realized another major adjustment upward to $1.5 million from OXO Equine, which races the new G3 stakes winner.

The filly's first two dams were bred and raced by Juddmonte Farms; the third and fourth dams were bred and raced for Christiana Stables.

Both operations were known for an insistence upon quality of pedigree and performance, and it is no surprise that the fifth dam, Enchanted Eve (Lovely Night), was a high-class racemare who finished second in the 1952 Alabama Stakes and became the dam of Tempted (Half Crown), the champion older mare of 1959.

A winner of the Alabama Stakes, Tempted won the Beldame and Maskette (twice), plus a half-dozen other stakes in a distinguished career for earnings of $330,760 when that was real money.

Tempted's younger sibling Instant Sin (Restless Native) was born a decade after the older filly's championship season and had only a maiden victory from three starts, earning $3,024.

Retained by Christiana and bred to the famed breeder's Futurity Stakes winner Cyane (Turn-to), Instant Sin produced the unraced Nimble Folly, who was unable to have a racing career but proved to be the jackpot at stud.

Sold to Derry Meeting Farm at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November sale for $285,000, Nimble Folly promptly produced G1 winner Contredance (Danzig). Sold to Henryk de Kwiatkowski at the 1983 Saratoga select sale for $175,000, Contredance won the Arlington-Washington Lassie and Adirondack, finished third in the Spinaway, and later won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland before it became a G1.

Acquired subsequently by Juddmonte, Nimble Folly then produced three more stakes winners, including G2 winner Skimble (Lyphard), a lovely chestnut who won the G2 Dahlia and Wilshire handicaps. Retired to the elite broodmare band at Juddmonte, Skimble produced the notably inbred Skimming (Nureyev), thus 2×3 to Northern Dancer. Racing for Juddmonte, Skimming twice won the G1 Pacific Classic at his beloved Del Mar, where he was unbeaten, and earned more than $2.2 million.

Intriguingly, Skimming was Skimble's first foal, and she was thereafter sent almost exclusively to stallions from the Mr. Prospector line. Toward the end of that sequence of minor performers was Specification (Empire Maker), who was unplaced in a pair of starts in Ireland.

With a list of duds from Skimble and that piddling race record, Specification was surplus to requirements for Juddmonte's splendid broodmare band, and the bay daughter of Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker was sent to the 2011 December mares sale at Tattersalls, where she sold to Mick Shannon for 48,000 guineas (about $78,000). The price suggests that she was a respectable specimen, and there wasn't much to quibble about in the racing class of the dam and sibling.

Brought to Kentucky, Specification proved a dam of winners. Sent through the Keeneland November sale in 2017 in foal to the quick sire Kantharos, she brought $37,000 from Todd and Shawn Hansen. The foal that followed her into the ring was a bay filly by Into Mischief.

Now we know her as Center Aisle.

Frank Mitchell is author of Racehorse Breeding Theories, as well as the book Great Breeders and Their Methods: The Hancocks. In addition to writing the column “Sires and Dams” in Daily Racing Form for nearly 15 years, he has contributed articles to Thoroughbred Daily News, Thoroughbred Times, Thoroughbred Record, International Thoroughbred, and other major publications. In addition, Frank is chief of biomechanics for DataTrack International and is a hands-on caretaker of his own broodmares and foals in Central Kentucky. Check out Frank's lively Bloodstock in the Bluegrass blog.

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Into Mischief Fillies Put on a Show in Sugar Swirl

Center Aisle (Into Mischief) and 'TDN Rising Star' Frank's Rockette (Into Mischief) ran hard every step of the way in Saturday's six-furlong GIII Sugar Swirl S. at Gulfstream, and, after throwing down in the stretch, it was the former coming away with a hard-fought, one-length victory for a career high.

Perched four-wide beneath Luis Saez as four of them lined up–including favored MGSW & MGISP Frank's Rockette who was racing under fire in between runners–through an opening quarter in a sharp :21.72, Center Aisle poked a head in front approaching the quarter pole.

The classy duo emerged clear from the field of eight as they straightened for home, and, after putting on a nice show down the lane, the 2-1 second-choice Center Aisle edged clear late from her ultra-game rival in a race that didn't deserve a loser.

Center Aisle, a sharp debut winner at Gulfstream for Chad Brown last March, completed the trifecta behind Frank's Rockette in last term's GIII Victory Ride S. at Belmont as well as the GII Prioress S. at Saratoga. Transferred to Paulo Lobo for her 4-year-old campaign, the bay scored in front-running fashion in her first two tries this season–a sloppy Keeneland allowance Oct. 15 over a next-out winner and an optional claimer at Churchill Downs last time Nov. 20, respectively.

Lobo said that the plan is to send Center Aisle back to Kentucky for a freshening before returning to South Florida for the seven-furlong GII Inside Information S. at Gulfstream Jan. 29.

“She was coming into this race ready from two very nice races,” Lobo said. “She's a very special mare. I think she has a bright future. I felt good because the body language of Saez, she looked very comfortable outside and when they came home, my feeling was very good.”

Saez added, “The other filly was running pretty fast. But I had a lot of horse, and we came to the top of the stretch, she gave me another kick. At that point, we knew we had horse to fight, and she did it. She did it pretty impressively.”

Pedigree Notes:

Center Aisle, a $1.5-million FTFMAR purchase by Larry Best's OXO Equine and the highest-priced filly out of that sale after breezing a quarter in a powerful :20 3/5, becomes the 105th stakes winner/46th graded stakes winner for her all-conquering sire Into Mischief. She becomes the 65th stakes winner/29th graded winner for her late broodmare sire Empire Maker.

The Into Mischief/Empire Maker cross is also responsible for GI TVG.com Haskell S. winner via disqualification and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun.

Juddmonte homebred Specification, a maiden of two career starts, produced a colt by Goldencents this year and was bred back to Vino Rosso.

The winner's dam is a half-sister to dual GI Pacific Classic winner Skimming (Nureyev). She is out of five-time graded stakes victress Skimble (Lyphard).

Specification was a $37,000 Keeneland November purchase by Todd and Shawn Hansen in 2017 when followed into the ring by then-weanling Center Aisle.

Saturday, Gulfstream
SUGAR SWIRL S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 12-18, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.54, ft.
1–CENTER AISLE, 120, f, 4, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Specification, by Empire Maker
                2nd Dam: Skimble, by Lyphard
                3rd Dam: Nimble Folly, by Cyane
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($165,000
Wlg '17 KEENOV; $450,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $1,500,000 2yo
'19 FTFMAR). O-OXO Equine LLC; B-Breffni Farm (KY);
T-Paulo H. Lobo; J-Luis Saez. $60,140. Lifetime Record:
8-4-0-3, $263,190. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Frank's Rockette, 122, f, 4, Into Mischief–Rocket
Twentyone, by Indian Charlie. 'TDN Rising Star' O-Frank
Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc.; B-Frank Fletcher (KY);
T-William I. Mott. $19,400.
3–Bronx Beauty, 120, m, 6, Liaison–Forever Sunshine, by
Rockport Harbor. ($250,000 6yo '21 KEENOV). O-Breeze
Easy, LLC; B-Blackstone Farm LLC (PA); T-Anthony R.
Margotta, Jr. $9,700.
Margins: 1, 5, 2. Odds: 2.10, 1.10, 6.40.
Also Ran: Music City Star, Loriloupies, Sosua, Quinoa Tifah, Compensate. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Center Aisle Much The Best In Sugar Swirl, Earns First Stakes Victory

Center Aisle stalked a quick pace over six furlongs at Gulfstream Park and dueled with Frank's Rockette down the stretch to take the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl by a length. After two in-the-money finishes in other graded stakes races, the daughter of Into Mischief breaks through to win her first graded stakes.

Loriloupies was quickest out of the gate at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track, setting early fractions of :21.72 for the quarter mile and :44.18 for a half mile. She was part of a four-across quartet of Frank's Rockette, Center Aisle, and Quinoa Tifah down the backstretch and into the race's only turn. As they straightened for home, Center Aisle and Frank's Rockette began to separate themselves from the field, dueling down the Gulfstream straight.

The two fillies were head to head throughout the stretch run, but Center Aisle was able to pull away from Frank's Rockette to win by a length. Bronx Beauty was third.

The final time was 1:09.54. Find this race's chart here.

Center Aisle paid $6.20, $2.80, and $2.60. Frank's Rockette paid $2.60 and $2.20. Bronx Beauty paid $2.80.

Bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farm, Center Aisle is by Into Mischief out of the Empire Maker mare Specification. She is owned by OXO Equine LLC and trained by Paulo Lobo. The filly was consigned by Tom McCrocklin and purchased by her owners for $1.5 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale. With her win in the G3 Sugar Swirl, the 4-year-old filly has three wins in three starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in eight starts and career earnings of

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Frank’s Rockette Easy Choice in Victory Ride

‘TDN Rising Star’ Frank’s Rockette (Into Mischief), never worse than second in seven lifetime starts, seeks her first graded win in Belmont’s GIII Victory Ride S. at 6 1/2 furlongs. While her only black-type win was the ungraded Any Limit S. Feb. 22 at Gulfstream, she had a trio of seconds last year in the GI Frizette S., GI Spinaway S., and GII Adirondack S. ranging from 6 1/2 panels to eight furlongs. Since shipping up from Payson Park, the Bill Mott pupil has had three works at Belmont–two of them bullets–including a smoking :46 4/5 (1/45) June 28 in company with multiple GII winner Tacitus (Tapit). Frank’s Rockette is always at or near the lead and she has the highest Beyers in the field, including a career-best 98 in the Any Limit. Her last race was a 3 1/2-length score in an allowance/optional claimer May 25 at Churchill.

The lightly raced Center Aisle (Into Mischief) makes her first foray into stakes company after a brilliant debut with an 88 Beyer in a six-furlong Gulfstream maiden Mar. 29. She regressed in her next out, a disappointing allowance/optional claimer May 22 at Churchill where she ran wide and green. A return to her debut form would put the Chad Brown trainee right in the thick of things.

Up in Smoke (The Big Beast) has been on a tear in Florida for George Weaver, making five starts since her Feb. 8 debut at Gulfstream. She’s won four of the five, all by open daylight, including a score at this distance in the June 6 Game Face S. Her only loss came when stretching out to a route. Two-for-three Reagan’s Edge (Competitive Edge) and longshot Miss Peppina (Bayern) complete the field.

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