Tag: Giant Mischief

Giant Mischief Back With A Vengeance at Churchill

8th-Churchill Downs, $132,590, Alw (NW2X), Opt. Clm ($125,000), 9-20, 3yo, 6f, 1:09.15, ft, 2 3/4 lengths.
GIANT MISCHIEF (c, 3, Into Mischief–Vertical Oak {MGSW, $773,095}, by Giant Oak) made a triumphant return off a near seven-month absence, landing this stakes-quality sprint in sharp fashion. The 7-5 favorite was off fairly and was hustled along early, but did not quite have speed enough to head them off and settled on the heels of the leaders to the turn. Angled away from the inside and into the four path going ominously well at the five-sixteenths pole, the $475,000 Keeneland September grad swept to the lead with a furlong and a half to race and kicked home to score by an impressive 2 3/4 lengths over fellow comebacker Two Eagles River (Cloud Computing). A debut winner at Horseshoe Indianapolis this time last year, Giant Mischief outgamed future GI Woody Stephens S. hero and 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Lion (Justify) in a seven-furlong allowance at Keeneland on Breeders' Cup Friday. A troubled-trip second as the 4-5 choice in the Dec. 17 Springboard Mile S. at Remington, the bay was a latest sixth in a sloppy-track renewal of the GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Feb. 25. The winner's dual graded stakes-winning dam was a acquired for $700,000 with this colt in utero at the 2019 Keeneland November Sale and is also the dam of a yearling Curlin filly and a weanling colt by Quality Road. Vertical Oak, a daughter of MSW Vertical Vision (Pollard's Vision), was covered by Into Mischief this season. Sales history: $475,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: SP, 5-3-1-0, $285,320. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Spendthrift Farm LLC, Steve Landers Racing LLC, M Schwartz, M Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, J Bakke., Titletown Racing Stables, Kueber Racing, LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC, Winners Win, M Caruso & Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Brad H Cox.

 

 

The post Giant Mischief Back With A Vengeance at Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Into Mischief’s Root Cause Overcomes Traffic to Earn ‘Rising Star’ Nod

Root Cause (f, 3, Into Mischief–Vertical Vision {MSW, $202,979), by Pollard's Vision), second at Saratoga Aug. 14 last season in a 1 1/16-mile turf maiden which yielded SP Towhead (Malibu Moon), SP Beauitfulnavigator (Ire) (Expert Eye {GB}), and SP Forever Dixie (Quality Road), made it look effortless here en route to 'TDN Rising Star'-dom at 1-5 favoritism in her 2023 bow over Gulfstream Park grass.

Breaking well but in no hurry to challenge the eager early speed, Root Cause stalked from the two path in third through the first bend. Midway up the backstretch, the eye-catching bay found herself locked in traffic as Tawaret (Pioneerof the Nile) rushed up the rail to claim an opening and the field was closing ranks around her for the run through the far turn. Shuffled back to fifth as 1:13.80 flashed across the board, Irad Ortiz opted for the overland route, and was full of horse when they arrived at the head of the stretch. Unleashing a wicked turn of foot, Root Cause put 2 1/2 lengths on her rivals with a motionless rider in the irons and won as easily as she pleased to claim her diploma over Settling Storm (Tonalist).

A half to Vertical Oak (Giant Oak), MGSW, $773,095–herself dam of 'TDN Rising Star' SP Giant Mischief (Into Mischief)–the victress is her sire's 37th runner to get the TDN stamp of approval. Half-brother Payne (Paynter), SP, $437,870 was a six-time winner in his own right. Thus far the most recent to the races, Root Cause has a 2-year-old half-sister Mitole Vision (Mitole) as well as a yearling half-sister by Authentic. Vertical Vision visited Caravaggio for 2023.

1st-Gulfstream, $70,000, Msw, 3-19, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:49.11, fm, 2 1/2 lengths.
ROOT CAUSE, f, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Vertical Vision {MSW, $202,979} by Pollard's Vision)
2nd Dam: Caney Creek, by Service Stripe
3rd Dam: Grace Creek, by Allen's Prospect
Sales record: $375,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $63,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Jeff Drown; B-Warran J Harang (KY); T-Chad C. Brown.

The post Into Mischief’s Root Cause Overcomes Traffic to Earn ‘Rising Star’ Nod appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verifying ‘Checks’ All Boxes In Hot Renewal of Rebel

For all he's accomplished in a relatively short period of time, trainer Brad Cox yet to unsaddle a winner of the third leg of Oaklawn's 3-year-old series, the $1-million GII Rebel S. But he'll have two strong chances to right that wrong in an extremely contentious renewal Saturday afternoon.

Verifying (Justify), a half-brother to champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), rounded out the exacta behind Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) in a sloppy-track running of the GI Champagne S. at Aqueduct Oct. 1 and never truly threatened in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile after getting pinched back at the break. The $775,000 Keeneland September purchase could not have been more impressive in a first-level allowance going a mile on sophomore debut here Jan. 14, as he widened through the short stretch to treat Gun Pilot (Gun Runner) to a 5 1/4-length beating.

The 2-1 morning-line favorite figures to be tested by stablemate Giant Mischief (Into Mischief), who makes his seasonal debut off a remarkable runner-up effort in the Springboard Mile in December. A Keeneland allowance winner sprinting in his prior appearance, the bay made a mess of the break and trailed, then made a quick, wide move on the turn before falling just short as the odds-on favorite.

“I expected him to run big that night and he did,” Cox said. “I never expected him to break like that. Just rocked back a step right before they popped him. He's a good horse as well. We're looking forward to giving him another run around two turns.”

A Rebel 'yell' for several of the remaining nine entrants would not come as a surprise. Red Route One (Gun Runner) raced detached from the rest of the field in the GIII Southwest S., but rallied strongly over a rain-affected strip he may not have loved to be second to tearaway winner 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo).

Reincarnate (Good Magic) ships in from California and is to be saddled for the first time by Tim Yakteen. A maiden winner at fourth asking at Del Mar in November, he more or less made all the running in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 8, holding off next-out GIII Robert B. Lewis S. hero Newgate (Into Mischief) by a neck.

And a case can even be made for Gun Pilot, who franked the form of the Verfying allowance with a two-length success Feb. 4 in which he overcame some trouble on the turn to best Bourbon Bash (City of Light). Trainer Steve Asmussen is a four-time winner of the Rebel.

A total of 100 points (50-20-15-10-5) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby are up for grabs Saturday.

Wet Paint Can Keep Ball Rolling in Honeybee

Godolphin's Wet Paint (Blame), undefeated in a pair of starts going two turns on dirt, looks to negotiate the hike into graded stakes company as the one to beat in the GIII Honeybee S.

Like her stable companion Giant Mischief, Wet Paint broke her maiden at Indiana Grand last fall and, following an allowance second going a mile on the Turfway all-weather in December, finished with good energy to defeat the re-opposing Taxed (Collected) and Defining Purpose (Cross Traffic) in the Jan. 28 Martha Washington S.

Olivia Twist (Mshawish) is a fair bet to take tons of action off what feels a very overlaid morning line of 15-1. A $230,000 OBS June acquistion, the bay took her two-turn bow by 15 lengths at Remington Nov. 21 and was the two-length winner of the Dec. 17 Trapeze S. in Oklahoma City. The 21-10 second pick in the Martha Washington, she gave way readily after six furlongs over a wet-fast track and deserves the benefit of the doubt, particularly if underbet.

The post Verifying ‘Checks’ All Boxes In Hot Renewal of Rebel appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Brad Cox Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

He just won the GII Risen Star S., has a strong pair entered in Saturday's GII Rebel S. and accounts for 10 horses being offered in the latest round of the Derby Future Wager. When it comes to 3-year-old talent, Brad Cox's lineup has tremendous quality and tremendous quantity. In the spotlight virtually every Saturday that includes a prep race for the GI Kentucky Derby, Cox found the time to join the team for this week's Thoroughbred Daily News Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to discuss his Derby prospects. Cox was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week.

So far as the Rebel, in which he will start Verifying (Justify) and Giant Mischief (Into Mischief), Cox is optimistic he can pick up another major win on the road to the Derby.

“I think that Verifying is a very good horse,” he said. “The last time out at Oaklawn, he showed the ability to set close to the pace. I think the fractions [in the Rebel] will be similar, maybe even quicker. I don't expect to necessarily be on the lead but somewhat forwardly placed in a good stalking position. If he runs as well as he's training, I think he's going to be right there. He's a good colt. Giant Mischief is also a very good colt. I thought he ran a winning race at Remington [in the Springboard Mile], but, obviously, just didn't get away well. He made a big middle move and then kind of flattened out. This was by design to give him a little time after that race. He had three good runs at two, three positive races. And I thought he showed in his Remington race that he could stretch out. We're looking forward to getting him started at three.”

Like most trainers with top horses and clients, winning the Derby has become a focal point for Cox, who said he's living a dream with this many good horses.

“This has been my dream for a long, long time, to get into this position, acquire good colts from top outfits, top breeders, top owners throughout the country,” he said. “These horses, you need to have a lot of them to be on this stage. That we have so many at this point just proves that we've got a really, really good program. It's a team effort and it's years and years of training young horses and being able to stop on them when they need to be stopped on and then having them ready to go in the fall of their two-year-old year or to begin their three-year-old season to try to make that push for the Kentucky Derby because it is very, very demanding.”

Officially, Cox has won the Kentucky Derby. The Cox-trained Mandaloun (Into Mischief) was awarded the win in 2021 after Medina Spirit (Protonico) was disqualified due to a medication overage. But Cox said he doesn't really feel like he's won the race and wants to win it by sending out the best horse.

“It hasn't felt like winning the Kentucky Derby,” he said. “If you're awarded the race how do you explain that to people? I have to say, 'Oh, yeah, I've won it, but my horse didn't cross the wire first.' If I met a stranger and they didn't know much about horse racing, I'd have to explain how I won the Derby. I definitely don't feel that we've won the Kentucky Derby. We know the Kentucky Derby is not the richest race run in America, but I think it is without a doubt the most prestigious. All the eyes are on racing that day with the telecast, the crowd and everything. And it's the thrill of victory, bottom line. I haven't experienced that thrill and I look forward to it someday.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, XBTV, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders and West Point Thoroughbreds, Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley reviewed last week's races at the Fair Grounds, including the Risen Star and the disappointing effort by Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Steve Asmussen's 10,000th win was also discussed with Finley predicting that Asmussen is setting records that will never be broken. To preview the G1 Saudi Cup, Cadman caught up with jockeys Mike Smith and Frankie Dettori in a new segment on the podcast, 1/ST things 1/ST at Santa Anita.

The post Brad Cox Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights