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Mischevious Alex, Drain The Clock Drill For Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Engagements

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. breezed Mischevious Alex and Drain the Clock Sunday at Florida's Gulfstream Park in preparation for starts at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival this coming week at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex worked a half-mile in company in 48.72 seconds on the fast main track in his final breeze for Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap.

Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock also worked a half-mile in company in 48.68.

Joseph said the breeze was easier by design for both after working the two talented colts head-and-head on May 23 through five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.81 on the Gulfstream main track.

“We didn't want either of them to overdo anything so we paired them with lesser workmates today,” said Joseph. “The last time they worked together they went head and head the whole way.”

Joseph said Mischevious Alex is coming into the Met Mile, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, in top form following his impressive score in the G1 Carter Handicap on April 3 at the Big A that garnered a career-best 109 Beyer.

“They caught him in 48 and change and he got the last quarter in 23 and 1, so it went well,” said Joseph. “He's in good form. We're hoping he can run a race as good as last time. If he does, I think we're going over there with a good chance.”

Drain the Clock, who has won 5-of-7 starts, is targeting the G1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Nassau Country Industrial Development Agency, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores.

Joseph said the Maclean's Music chestnut, who matched a career-best 86 Beyer last out winning the Grade 3 Bay Shore on April 3 at the Big A, is in good order.

“He's plenty fit,” said Joseph. “He looked good working and he is coming into the race in good form at a distance that he's been successful. He'll have to run his career best, but we feel like he's sitting on his career best.”

Joseph will also be represented at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival by Sweet Bye and Bye in Thursday's G3, $200,000 Intercontinental, a seven-furlong Widener turf sprint for older fillies and mares; and by Queen Nekia in the G1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps at 1 1/16-miles on Big Sandy for older fillies and mares which offers a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” berth to the Distaff.

Joseph said the colts will fly to New York on Wednesday, while the mares will begin their journey by van later today.

The Florida-based conditioner, who has stalls at Belmont for the first time, has three wins and three thirds from nine starts at the Belmont spring/summer meet. He praised assistant trainer Sabine Langvad for the strong early showing.

“Our horses have been in good form and running good. Even the ones that didn't win have performed credibly,” said Joseph, Jr. “Sabine works hard and has a lot of passion for what she does.”

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Sign Of Things To Come? Mischevious Alex Leads Saffie Joseph Triple In New York

Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. will fill as many as 12 stalls at Belmont Park at the upcoming 48-day spring/summer meet in Elmont, N.Y., that runs from April 22 through July 11.

On Saturday, assistant trainer Sabine Langvad led three starters to the Big A paddock and had had her picture taken on each occasion thanks to wins with Mischevious Alex in the Grade 1, $300,000 Carter Handicap; Drain the Clock in the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore; and Michael's Bad Boy in a state-bred maiden claimer.

Langvad said the results made working through recently crisp Nassau County mornings worthwhile.

“It was very cold here on Friday and I was like, 'Oh, this is rough.' But I can take a few frozen fingers for three wins,” said Langvad with a laugh.

Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex earned a 109 Beyer for a dominant 5 1/2-length score in the seven-furlong Grade 1 Carter.

The 4-year-old Into Mischief colt, who captured the Grade 3 Gotham here last year, was much the best over multiple Grade 1-winner Mind Control. Irad Ortiz, Jr., who won six races on the card and guided all three winners Saturday for Joseph, Jr., has now piloted the colt to three successive wins, including a score in the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint in February.

“Irad gave him a perfect trip. He showed his true class at the quarter pole when he gave a strong kick and went away from everybody,” said Langvad. “I thought he was super impressive and showed that he's a Grade 1 horse.”

Mischevious Alex could target the Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan on June 5 at Belmont Park with connections indicating Saturday that a pair of Grade 1 sprints at Saratoga – the Vanderbilt and Forego – are very much in play.

Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock turned back in distance and earned an 86 Beyer for his 1 3/4-length frontrunning score in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Bay Shore.

The Maclean's Music chestnut was a little fractious in the gate but was able to dictate terms for the wrapped up win. A record of five wins from seven starts includes scores in the six-furlong Limehouse and seven-furlong Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream. He entered the Wood from a pacesetting second in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream.

“He's still maturing. It's his first time in a new place and it wasn't terrible. He still broke well and I think with experience he will get better,” said Langvad. “He did well in the Fountain of Youth running second behind Greatest Honour. If they wanted to, they could have pushed him to go that distance but it seems his specialty is going seven eighths and especially one turn. Their decision was to focus on what seems to be his strength. He's shown he belongs in graded races. Hopefully, some big tasks ahead for him.”

A NYRA Grade 1 could be in order for Drain the Clock, as Joseph, Jr. said Saturday the $400,000 Woody Stephens on June 5 at Belmont Park and the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 28 at Saratoga are long term goals for the talented colt.

Lawrence Goichman's homebred Michael's Bad Boy graduated in his eighth start, drawing clear by 3 1/2-lengths in a state-bred 1 1/16-mile turf event with Ortiz, Jr. in the irons.

Langvad said all three horses were in good order on Sunday morning.

“Everyone looks great and ate up all their food,” said Langvad. “I'm super happy with how they came back and they took to travelling really well. Shipping back and forth from Aqueduct didn't seem to bother them at all.”

Mischevious Alex and Drain the Clock are scheduled to ship back to Joseph, Jr. in Florida on Monday, while the New York-bred Michael's Bad Boy will remain at Belmont.

Queen Nekia, last out winner of the Grade 3 Royal Delta on February 20 at Gulfstream, is slated to arrive in New York on Wednesday for a start in Saturday's $100,000 Top Flight Invitational.

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Drain The Clock Under Wraps Taking Bay Shore As Heavy Favorite

Saturday's stakes action at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., kicked off when Drain the Clock solidified his 1-5 favoritism while capturing his second graded stakes triumph, going gate-to-wire in the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore for 3-year-olds.

The Maclean's Music chestnut colt cut back in distance for the seven-furlong sprint after finishing second in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on February 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Drain the Clock was a step slow leaving the gate under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., but quickly established command. Two-time winning Parx invader Beren, who stumbled at the start, kept close company to the outside in second as Drain the Clock led the compact five-horse field through opening fractions of 23.68 and 47.97 seconds over the fast main track.

Around the turn, Drain the Clock extended his advantage as Beren began to relinquish. Ortiz, Jr. got busy aboard his charge nearing the quarter pole and opened up a 4 ½-length lead in upper stretch.

Drain the Clock lugged out slightly nearing the furlong marker as Ortiz, Jr. went to the left hand with Whiskey Double launching a late bid to the outside. By the sixteenth pole, Ortiz, Jr. had Drain the Clock under wraps as he strolled past the finish line a 1 3/4-length winner in a final time of 1:25.97. Whiskey Double made up considerable ground to get second, 5 3/4 lengths ahead of Too Boss in third.

Beren and Garoppolo rounded out the order of finish.

Owned by Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig, Drain the Clock improved his record to 7-5-1-0, with his other graded stakes win coming two starts back in the Grade 3 Swale on January 30 at Gulfstream Park, which also was at seven furlongs.

“He just wants to break out of there. He broke a little [slow] out of there but he put himself right away into the race and took me to the lead,” said Ortiz, Jr., who returned to New York fresh off a riding title at Gulfstream Park. “I let him relax and then I asked him to go and he was running hard to the wire.”

The victory was a first graded stakes win in New York for Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., who will have a string at Belmont Park this summer for the first time.

“I thought he kicked away well at the top of the lane and did what he had to do. If you ease up on him, he's going to relax,” Joseph, Jr. said. “The five [Beren] didn't get a good break, unfortunately, and we didn't get pressed. If that horse went, we were going to sit. He's a very versatile horse and he doesn't need the lead.”

A NYRA Grade 1 could be in order for Drain the Clock, as Joseph, Jr. listed the $400,000 Woody Stephens on June 5 at Belmont Park and the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 28 at Saratoga as long terms goals for the talented colt.

“I'll talk it over with the ownership group. The Woody Stephens was in play even before this race but this puts it even more up there,” Joseph, Jr. said. “It's definitely on the radar. The Woody Stephens and Allen Jerkens are the types of races you want to be in. If we could win one it would be nice, if we could win both it would be great.”

Bred in Kentucky by Nick Cosato, Drain the Clock is the third offspring out of the Arch mare Manki, whose two other progeny of racing age are winners.

Drain the Clock banked $110,000 in victory while improving his lifetime earnings to $319,550. He returned $2.70 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Aqueduct with an eight-race card. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

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‘Clock’ Turned Back in Bay Shore

Despite a solid runner-up finish last out in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., Drain the Clock (Maclean's Music)'s future appears to be around one turn, and he figures to be an overwhelming favorite in Saturday's seven-furlong GIII Bay Shore S. at Aqueduct.

Romping to a six-length debut graduation as an 8-5 favorite in a Gulfstream off-the-turfer Sept. 12, the Saffie Joseph trainee repeated in a Gulfstream West allowance/optional claimer Oct. 28 before losing his rider when making his stakes bow in the Jean Lafitte S. Nov. 30 at Delta. Redeeming himself with a comprehensive win in the Limehouse S. back at Gulfstream Jan. 2, the chestnut romped again in the GIII Swale S. there Jan. 30 before setting the pace and besting all but top GI Kentucky Derby contender Greatest Honour (Tapit) in the Fountain of Youth.

“He's never gotten beat going one turn. He ran a credible race in the Fountain of Youth but I think he's best at one turn and we're hoping he'll show up and run his usual race,” Joseph told the NYRA notes team.

Opposing Drain the Clock in this five-horse field are Too Boss (El Padrino), a 5 1/2-length local maiden breaker Jan. 17 for Todd Pletcher, Garoppolo (Outwork), a second-out winner last July who hasn't been seen since running fourth in the GII Saratoga Special S., Whiskey Double (Into Mischief), a late-running allowance victor last out Feb. 28 at Oaklawn, and Beren (Weigelia), who triumphed in his last two outings at Parx for Butch Reid.

The post ‘Clock’ Turned Back in Bay Shore appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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