‘Rising Star’ My Prankster To Stand At West Virginia’s O’Sullivan Farms For 2024

'TDN Rising Star' My Prankster (Into Mischief) has been sold and will stand the 2024 breeding season at O'Sullivan Farms, located in Charles Town, WV.

A $600,000 purchase for Robert & Lawana Low at the Fasig-Tipton Select Yearling Showcase in 2020, My Prankster was trained by Todd Pletcher and broke his maiden by ten lengths in 'Rising Star' style at Saratoga. He retires with three wins in 10 career starts including the GIII Swale S. and with $314,840 in earnings.

My Prankster will join Limehouse, Aldrin, Capo Bastone and Golden Years for the 2024 season.

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Corniche Returns in Amsterdam

Champion Corniche (Quality Road) makes his highly anticipated return to the races and first start for trainer Todd Pletcher Sunday in Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S.

The 'TDN Rising Star' spent some time at WinStar after his championships season and, with Bob Baffert serving his suspension, was sent to Pletcher in May with an eye on the late season sophomore highlights. (Click here for Pletcher's thoughts in Mike Kane's Saturday feature).

“We're hoping that with the good fortune we had with his sire Quality Road and him making his debut for us in the Amsterdam, which produced a track record performance, that hopefully some of that good fortune will follow through here,” said Pletcher, who seeks his fifth Amsterdam win.

While he will be the favorite, he won't have it easy. Corniche is joined by Grade I winner Gunite (Gun Runner) and graded stakes-winning fellow Pletcher trainee My Prankster (Into Mischief), who finished one-two in Churchill's Maxfield S. last out July 3. The champ also faces one of his former shedrow mates from the Baffert barn in GISW Pinehurst (Twirling Candy).

Also on tap at Saratoga Sunday is the GII Bowling Green S. for turf marathoners. Grade I winners Arklow (Arch) and Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).

Juju's Map Headlines Monmouth Oaks

Never worse than second in a juvenile campaign that included a win in the GI Darley Alcibiades S., Juju's Map (Liam's Map) looks to return to winning ways Sunday in the GIII Monmouth Oaks. Making her seasonal debut with a dominant optional claimer score on the GI Kentucky Oaks undercard, the dark bay checked in third as the favorite last out in Belmont's GII Mother Goose S. June 25.

She will be made to work for it though with the presence of Meydan sensation and 'TDN Rising Star' Shahama (Munnings), who receives Lasix for the first time Sunday. The $425,000 OBSAPR acquisition was second in the Mother Goose after rallying for sixth in the Oaks.

A pair of Gun Runner fillies look to add to their sire's stakes success at Monmouth last weekend in SW Shotgun Hottie and GSP Runaway Wife.

Sunday's graded action wraps at Del Mar with the GII Eddie Read S., where GII Charles Whittingham S. top two Beyond Brilliant (Twirling Candy) and Masteroffoxhounds (War Front) top the field.

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Luis Saez Voted Jockey Of The Week With Three Stakes Wins At Gulfstream

Leading Gulfstream Park rider, Luis Saez won three of the five graded stakes for 3-year-olds Saturday on Holy Bull Day to earn Jockey of the Week for Jan. 31 through Feb. 6. The honor, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1,050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

The seven-furlong, Grade 3 Swale was the first graded stakes of the day with Saez in the irons for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher on My Prankster. Off as the even-money favorite in the field of six and breaking from the rail, My Prankster raced near the back of the field. On the backside, Saez angled My Prankster to the outside and challenged the leaders at the top stretch. My Prankster gained command from Dean Delivers down the lane and posted a one-half length win in 1:23.13.

“He got a good break today,” said Saez. “We knew they had a lot of speed in the race so the plan was to get him in the clear and go from there…he always tries, he tried pretty hard today and he got the job done so it was a good race for him.”

Riding for trainer Brad Cox, Saez was aboard Louisiana invader Girl With a Dream in the filly counterpart to the Swale, the G3 Forward Gal. Breaking from post position six in the field of seven, Saez and Girl With a Dream lead throughout the seven furlongs while holding off the favorite Radio Days to post a one-length victory in 1:23.42.

“She broke from there pretty sharp,” said Saez. “She went and she was pretty comfortable all the way. We came to the top of the stretch and I felt like I had a lot of horse. She kept battling, and she beat them. I felt like every step, when the other filly (Radio Days) came close, she responded more.”

Trainer Roderick Rodriguez gave a leg up to Saez on Opelina in the G3 Sweetest Chant at one mile and one-sixteenth on the turf. Off as the co-second choice in the field of nine, Saez and Opelina settled in fourth. Leaving the backstretch, Saez gave Opelina her cue swinging three wide to quickly pass the leaders and holding on to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:41.56.

“When she took the lead in the stretch, she kind of waited for the other ones, but when she got on the left (lead) she gave me another gear,” said Saez.

Saez's weekly statistics were 43-7-9-7 with total purse earnings of $396,620.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Jose L. Ortiz with two graded stakes wins at Aqueduct, Flavien Prat with a stakes win at Santa Anita, Jaime Rodriguez who tied for number of wins for the week with nine and Tim Thornton who also posted nine wins for the week.

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My Prankster Scores Black Type With Gutsy Swale Victory

Robert and Lawana Low's My Prankster earned his first stakes victory Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., rallying from off the pace to win the $100,000 Claiborne Farm Swale (G3).

The seven-furlong Swale was the first of five graded stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday's program that was headlined by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the first graded stakes on the Road to the Curlin Florida Derby (G1).

Although he lived up to his even-money favoritism with a gutsy half-length victory in the Swale, My Prankster isn't a likely candidate for Gulfstream's premier 1 1/8-mile Triple Crown prep.

“We'll play it by ear,” Pletcher said. “He gives me the impression that he's a one-turn horse, but we won't rule anything out yet.”

My Prankster, who was coming off a Dec. 10 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream after finishing second in the six-furlong Bowman Mill at Keeneland, broke from the rail post position and was outrun early as In Dreams took immediate command. The Brad Cox-trained frontrunner went on to set fractions of 22.36 and 44.87 seconds for the first half-mile. Leading jockey Luis Saez took My Prankster to the outside on the backstretch and the son of Into Mischief made steady progress to enter contention on the far turn. Dean Delivers and jockey Miguel Vasquez moved alongside the tiring pacesetter on the turn into the homestretch as My Prankster pulled alongside him while making a three-wide sweep. Dean Delivers fought on gamely through the stretch but was unable to hold off the Pletcher-trained favorite.

“We were concerned about the '1' draw. It cost him a little position early and you could see when he was getting dirt in his face, he wasn't liking it. He was climbing the first eighth of a mile,” Pletcher said. “Luis was able to get him out in the clear. The key part of the race, in the middle of the turn, he put in a big run to catch up.”

My Prankster ran seven furlongs in 1:23.13 to register his third victory in five starts.

“Luis said he got there a little sooner than he wanted and he idled a little when he made the lead, but it was another professional effort. He's a nice horse,” Pletcher said.

Saez entered the Swale with a lot of confidence.

“The [last] work was pretty good, pretty easy. I felt like he was ready for this race,” Saez said. “He always tries. He's an honest horse. I'm so glad to be part of the team.”

My Prankster, a $600,000 yearling purchase at the 2020 Keeneland September sale, won his debut by 10 lengths at Saratoga Aug. 21 at 6 ½ furlongs before finishing a well-beaten fourth in the mile Champagne (G1) at Belmont. The Kentucky-bred was narrowly beat in the Bowman Mills while cutting back in distance before returning to the winner's circle in his first two races during Gulfstream's Championship Meet.

Dean Delivers finished 2 ½ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Of a Revolution.

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