into mischief | Horse Racing Free Tips

Who’s Your Pick? George Adams

GEORGE ADAMS, Housatonic Bloodstock

Instagrand (Into Mischief), $7,500, Taylor Made

Of the first-years, Instagrand is a really interesting horse and priced competitively at $7,500 at Taylor Made. If he’d retired after his first two starts, folks would have knocked him on soundness but they’d have bred to him because of that brilliance and the Into Mischief factor, and his fee would’ve been higher. Nothing he did after that changes anything about his juvenile campaign, and physically he’s a beast. Plus, Into Mischief has only gotten hotter. I think the commercial market will really love him, even without Larry Best supporting him strongly at the sales.

Jimmy Creed (Distorted Humor), $10,000, Spendthrift

I was a huge Jimmy Creed fan last year at $15,000, and Spendthrift knocked him down even more this year to $10,000. I think that makes him hands-down the best value in Kentucky this year —we will book more mares to him than anything else this year.

I’m not the only one who has noticed that he’s achieved great stats with very mediocre mares (7.4% stakes winners to runners and 16.8% black-type horses to runners, including four top-class graded horses, all from mares good for just a 1.01 CI) and there are some very sharp people going in big on him this year. With better-bred crops in the pipeline, he could be the next one on that Kantharos/Munnings trajectory as far as commerciality and stud fee.

Thank you to the breeders and agents who have participated in our ongoing ‘Who’s Your Pick’ series this week. Did you miss a few responses? You can catch up on the entire series here.

The post Who’s Your Pick? George Adams appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Largent Helps Pletcher Bag Fourth Win Of Day In Ft. Lauderdale

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Largent put an exclamation point on a four-win afternoon for trainer Todd Pletcher, punching his ticket to next month's $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) with a come-from-behind victory in Saturday's $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 64th running of the 1 1/8-mile Fort Lauderdale for 3-year-olds and up on the grass was the headliner on an 11-race program featuring five stakes, four graded, worth $575,000 in purses including the $100,000 Harlan's Holiday (G3), a prep for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 23, won by Tax.

With Paco Lopez aboard for the first time, Largent ($35.80) swept to the lead on the far outside approaching the stretch and outran fellow longshots Breaking the Rules and Doswell late to win by two lengths in 1:46.16 over turf course rated good.

Since the Pegasus Turf was inaugurated in 2019, the Fort Lauderdale was moved from early January to mid-December to serve as the local stepping-stone to the Pegasus Day event. Eight of the 10 horses in Saturday's field were stakes winners, six of them in graded company led by millionaire favorite Factor This.

“Very salty field, indeed, and very fast fractions,” Pletcher said. “[Largent] is a horse that's generally laying up close. I just told Paco, 'It looks like there's a lot of pace, just try to sit in the pocket,' and he delivered a very good ride.”

“One thing is, he's always loved Gulfstream. He's always run very well here and we just felt like it was the right time to step up,” he added. “He'd been training great and it was the right time to see if he could step up into a big spot.”

It was the third career stakes win and first in graded company for Largent, who captured a pair of Virginia-bred stakes earlier this year at Colonial Downs and Laurel Park. The 4-year-old Into Mischief gelding has now won four of his five starts at Gulfstream, with one second.

“He's always run well here and he's a horse that has shown some talent. This was definitely his toughest task to date but he showed that he likes it here and delivered a big performance,” Pletcher said. “I think he certainly ran well enough today to earn a spot into the Pegasus, which we'd love to do.”

Lopez settled Largent in mid-pack as his Pletcher-trained stablemate, Grade 1 winner Halladay, and Factor This battled dueled on the front end through fractions of 23.22 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.34 for the half, going six furlongs in 1:09.62. Lopez tipped outside after saving ground early and powered through the stretch to cruise past the tiring leaders.

“[Pletcher] said, 'Paco, there's a lot of speed, four or five horses. Just go behind them and relax. Figure out where you are and ride your race,'” Lopez said. “He broke well, he came back and he was very comfortable. We came around horses at the top of the stretch and went on.”

Doswell, a winner of his previous two races, came up the rail to edge Breaking the Rules for second. They were followed by graded winners Spooky Channel and Channel Cat, Tide of the Sea, Halladay, Factor This, multiple graded-stakes winner Somelikeithotbrown and French Group 3 winner Delaware.

“There was a little bit of cut [in the ground] and they were certainly going fast enough. The key was that [Largent] was able to settle and relax early on and that allowed him to deliver a big closing kick,” Pletcher said. “Unfortunately for Halladay there was so much pace in today's race. We didn't want to take away his weapon, but at the same time he was probably doing a little too much early on.”

Pletcher was the trainer of Channel Cat when he ran 10th of 12 in the most recent edition of the Pegasus Turf, won in an upset by Zulu Alpha.

“With Largent, I think he certainly earned his way in and with Halladay, we'll assess how he comes out of it,” Pletcher said. “We'll get them home and evaluate both of them but we'll just kind of play it by ear with Halladay.”

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Into Mischief’s Largent High-Steps It in Fort Lauderdale Upset

Sent off at odds of 16-1 as the lesser-fancied of a pair from trainer Todd Pletcher in Saturday’s GII Ft. Lauderdale S., Largent (Into Mischief) settled in the latter half of the field and took advantage of a fast pace up ahead of him to cause the upset and likely earn a spot in the field for the $1-million GI Pegasus World Cup Turf next month.

Largent landed behind midfield as Halladay (War Front) set a searching pace in advance of the fleet-footed Factor This (The Factor) with the equally quick Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) outfooted in third. Racing inside down the backstretch, Largent was full of run, but was patiently handled into the final three furlongs by Paco Lopez. Sensing a chance to get away from the fence when push came to shove, Largent was produced four or five wide into the lane and finished fastest of all for the victory.

Doswell (Giant’s Causeway) tagged Breaking the Rules (War Front) for second.

Largent, a two-time stakes winner in Virginia-bred company earlier this year in Colonial’s Edward P. Evans S. July 29 and Laurel’s Bert Allen S. (non black-type) last time Oct. 9, became the 35th graded winner for his all-conquering sire with the victory Saturday. He sandwiched a runner-up finish in Saratoga’s Lure S. Sept. 7 between those two aforementioned victories. Largent is now four-for-five over the Gulfstream lawn.

“One thing is, he’s always loved Gulfstream,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He’s always run very well here and we just felt like it was the right time to step up. He’d been training great and it was the right time to see if he could step up into a big spot.”

Pletcher continued, “He’s a horse that has shown some talent. This was definitely his toughest task to date but he showed that he likes it here and delivered a big performance. I think he certainly ran well enough today to earn a spot into the Pegasus, which we’d love to do.”

Pedigree Notes:

Another weekend, another stakes winner for Into Mischief. North America’s leading sire has 83 career black-type winners from nine crops, but the truly remarkable statistic is 29 of his runners are stakes winners of 2020. Among his 34 lifetime graded winners are this year’s GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Authentic, GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Gamine, and his newest graded winner, Largent. Largent is the last foal out of the late Life in Seattle, whose three stakes performers also included MSW & GSP Kona Blend (Dixieland Band) and MSP Edgewater (Lion Heart). Life in Seattle won half of her four career starts and was out of the $1.9-million KEENOV broodmare Life At the Top, a MGISW and graded stakes producer. Life At the Top’s dam was a half-sister to Eclipse champion and GI Kentucky Derby winner Bold Forbes (Irish Castle). Largent is bred on the identical cross as Into Mischief’s dual champion Covfefe, as both are out of Unbridled mares. Unbridled’s 87 stakes winners out of his daughters also include Canadian champion Spring in the Air (Spring At Last), Derby winner Orb (Malibu Moon), and GI Preakness winner Shackleford (Forestry). Unbridled’s sire son, Unbridled’s Song, accounts for the dams of three more of Into Mischief’s black-type winners. An additional two of Into Mischief’s stakes winners are by another Unbridled son, Empire Maker.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FORT LAUDERDALE S.-GII, $200,000, Gulfstream, 12-12, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:46.16, gd.
1–LARGENT, 120, g, 4, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Life in Seattle, by Unbridled
2nd Dam: Life At the Top, by Seattle Slew
3rd Dam: See You At the Top, by Riva Ridge
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($460,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC & Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners; B-Lazy Lane Farms LLC (VA); T-Todd A Pletcher; J-Paco Lopez. $117,800. Lifetime Record: 9-6-3-0, $314,470. *1/2 to Edgewater (Lion Heart), MSP, $250,142; and Kona Blend (Dixieland Band), MSW & GSP, $174,960. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Doswell, 120, g, 5, Giant’s Causeway–Ballet Pacifica, by Minardi. O/B-Joseph Allen LLC (KY); T-Barclay Tagg. $38,000.
3–Breaking the Rules, 120, h, 5, War Front–Protesting, by A.P. Indy. O/B-Phipps Stable (KY); T-Claude R McGaughey III. $19,000.
Margins: 2, NO, 1HF. Odds: 16.90, 15.60, 10.80.
Also Ran: Spooky Channel, Channel Cat, Tide of the Sea, Halladay, Factor This, Somelikeithotbrown, Delaware (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Who’s Your Pick? Andrew Cary

As we approach the end of the calendar, we turn our attention to the incoming sire class of 2021. We asked several judges who their favorite incoming sire is for next year and if there are any other stallions, new or otherwise, that have caught their eye as under-the-radar picks.

ANDREW CARY, Cary Bloodstock

McKinzie (Street Sense), $30,000, Gainesway

This is a very strong group of incoming freshman sires and it’s very hard to just pick one, but I am a huge fan of McKinzie. I think had he retired in a “normal” year, he would have stood for more.

When he was at the top of his game in the summer of 2019, he was the best horse in the country. He was incredibly unlucky not to win the GI Met Mile (where he only got to run for about a sixteenth of a mile) and he galloped to a very easy win in the GI Whitney S. against a strong field and in fast time.

Any horse who can compete at the highest level from ages two through five and run first or second in 14 graded stakes has to be immensely respected.

In addition, he’s got the strong physical and pedigree that the market requires. Street Sense is a tremendous sire who still has plenty of years of production left, and his dam Runway Model (Petionville) was an elite runner herself. Bob Baffert was always very high on this horse from the moment he entered his shedrow. I think Gainesway did a great job pricing him where they did and my clients are breeding five mares to him.

Instagrand (Into Mischief), $7,500, Taylor Made

I think Instagrand is the potential home run horse of this whole crop, especially at his stud fee. He is a tremendous physical by the hottest sire on the planet, was a $1.2 million 2-year-old and flashed top level ability from the get go. He did train on as a 3-year-old to place in the GI Santa Anita Derby against the previous year’s champion 2-year-old Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) and Roadster (Quality Road).

Unfortunately he never got to truly fulfill all of his potential on the racetrack, but his profile matches up with many top stallions who began their careers standing for under $15,000 (including his own sire Into Mischief, as well as Distorted Humor, Mr. Prospector, Danzig, War Front, etc).

I encourage people to go back and watch Instagrand’s first two races–his maiden win and the GII Best Pal S., both of which he won by over 10 lengths. They are jaw-dropping. Mr. Larry Best (leading buyer at Keeneland November Sale) has made a huge commitment to the horse and my clients will be supporting him strongly as well.

Thank you to the breeders and agents who have participated in our ongoing ‘Who’s Your Pick’ series this week. Did you miss a few responses? You can catch up on the entire series here.

The post Who’s Your Pick? Andrew Cary appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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