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Mischevious Alex Back Sprinting in Vanderbilt

Undefeated as a sprinter this season, Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief) will turn back to six furlongs after being defeated in the one-mile GI Runhappy Metropolitan H. as a likely favorite in Saturday's GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga.

Proving himself as an exciting sophomore prospect last season with back-to-back open-lengths scores in the GIII Swale S. and GIII Gotham S., but missed the triple Crown and failed to crack the trifecta in his last two starts for John Servis when fourth in the GI Woody Stephens S. and sixth in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. Transferred to Saffie Joseph and laid up for over five months, the $75,000 Keeneland September bargain came back with three straight dominant victories, culminating with a 5 1/2-length score in the GI Carter H. that earned a field-best 109 Beyer. He was unable to quite stick it out in the Met Mile though, flattening out late to be third after contesting the pace.

Hard-knocking 14-time winner Firenze Fire (Poseidon's Warrior) will also try to rebound after suffering a rare defeat over his favorite track at Belmont. The victor of a remarkable 11 stakes races, he was last of four in last summer's Vanderbilt and again could see them all at the finish in the local GI Forego S., dropping his record to just one win in seven starts lifetime at the Spa. He's picked up three graded stakes trophies since though, all at Belmont, before being narrowly outdueled by Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) in the GII John A. Nerud S. last out July 4.

The ever-popular Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) is back for another bite at the apple after running a strong second in last year's Vanderbilt. Out of the top three in his next two outings, he unleashed a powerful stretch run to upset the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint by 3 1/4 lengths, locking up champion male sprinter honors. He's yet to find the mark in three tries as a 7-year-old, however, running second in the Hot Springs S. and GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. and most recently a close third in the GI Churchill Downs S. May 1.

The 'now' horse may be improving 5-year-old gelding Special Reserve (Midshipman). Haltered by Mike Maker for $40,000 out of an allowance/optional claiming spot Feb. 6 at Oaklawn, the bay has gone three-for-four since, with his only loss coming when second in the GIII Commonwealth S. Apr. 3 at Keeneland. When last seen, he dueled through a jaw-dropping :43.35 half-mile split and kicked away in the final furlong to a 2 3/4-length conquest of the Iowa Sprint S. July 3 at Prairie Meadows.

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Essential Quality Lays Over Rivals in Jim Dandy

As the leader in a contentious 3-year-old division, all eyes will be on Godolphin's champion Essential Quality (Tapit) Saturday at Saratoga, but the race itself may lack for drama, as the gray lays over his five rivals in the GII Jim Dandy S., the Spa's traditional prep for the Aug. 28 GI Runhappy Travers S. Then again, stranger things have happened at the “Graveyard of Favorites”.

Sewing up his Eclipse Award as the top 2-year-old male via a three-for-three campaign that culminated with a score in the GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the homebred made a dazzling sophomore debut when romping by 4 1/4 lengths in the sloppy-track GIII Southwest S. Feb. 27 at Oaklawn. Scoring a hard-fought neck success in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. Apr. 3, he suffered his first defeat in finishing a sneaky-good fourth as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby May 1.

Passing on a quick turnaround in the GI Preakness S., Essential Quality produced easily the best race of his career when wearing down Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) deep in the stretch of the GI Belmont S. June 5, scoring by 1 1/4 lengths with a 109 Beyer. He stopped the timer in 2:27.11 for the 1 1/2 miles, the third-fastest Belmont clocking this century. The Brad Cox trainee has gotten acclimated to the Saratoga main track with a trio of local breezes, capped by a five-furlong move in 1:00 4/5 (4/30) July 24.

“He likes it up here big time,” Cox told the NYRA notes team. “We take him out in the afternoons when it's not raining and let him graze. He's a lawnmower. He's real focused here. He's doing well. I'm very anxious to see him race again just for the simple fact of how he's training and how he's filling out. He's a very intelligent horse. He's been wanting to do more. He came out of his last work great. He's been very sharp and his energy has been great. The cooler weather is playing a role in that. But he's ready to run. I'm very excited.”

The most likely upsetter on paper is FTGGG Racing's ascendant Masqueparade (Upstart). Bought for $180,000 at Keeneland September, the bay took four tries to earn his diploma, and only did so by way of disqualification Mar. 20 at Fair Grounds. Something clicked after that though, as he put in one of the most impressive performances of Derby weekend when crushing allowance/optional claiming foes by 11 3/4 lengths May 1 at Churchill. He proved that was no fluke when gutting out a half-length triumph in the GIII Ohio Derby last out June 26 at Thistledown.

“Our horse is on the upswing, so if he keeps improving, he could be there or thereabouts. He deserves a shot,” trainer Al Stall said. “His last two races have been very good and he handled graded competition. The numbers are fine but stepping up to those proven competitors is more a test to me than running against the clock. I think he deserves a chance.”

Chiefswood Stables' Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile) has consistently outrun his odds and will try to do so again. A third-out graduate in the Aqueduct slop last December, he gamely prevailed by a nose at 46-1 in the GIII Gotham S. and was a solid fourth in the GII Wood Memorial S. after chasing a quick pace that otherwise fell apart. Entered against next-out GI TVG.com Haskell S. winner Mandaloun (Into Mischief) in the Pegasus S., he appeared clealry beaten by that favorite at the sixteenth pole, but refused to give in, coming back on the inside late to just miss an improbable victory by a neck.

“He still acts like he's a little confused by two-turn racing,” trainer Jimmy Jerkens said. “He breaks on his own and then gets on the bridle and then he was a little keen down the backside [in the Pegasus]. The pacesetter stopped abruptly and he ended up on the lead by himself, and he looked like he spit the bit out a little bit Mandaloun made a big, sweeping move past him and then he went after him again. He did that in the Gotham, when he lost the lead, he came back on. I guess it's like a little game with him … I think the last race did him a lot of good. His only two-turn race before that was the Wood Memorial and there was a big gap from that race. He should get better with more seasoning.”

Rounding out the field are Keepmeinmind (Laoban), third in the Ohio Derby last out, Dr Jack (Pioneerof the Nile), two-for-three with a third in the Pegasus and Risk Taking (Medaglia d'Oro), winner of the GIII Withers S. who made no impact in either the Wood Memorial or Preakness.

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Many Chances in Deep Bing

Handicappers will have a tough time tossing many horses from their tickets as a competitive nine-horse field lines up for Saturday's six-furlong GI Bing Crosby S. at Del Mar, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Given a slight nod on the morning line at 5-2 is C Z Rocket (City Zip). Claimed for $40,000 last spring at Oaklawn by Peter Miller, the gelding has been a new horse since, winning seven of nine races while finishing second in the other two. That streak includes a score in last summer's GII Pat O'Brien S. over this oval. The 7-year-old most recently was second when stretching out in the GIII Steve Sexton Mile S. May 31 at Lone Star.

California-bred Brickyard Ride (Clubhouse Ride) rates a big chances breaking from the outermost stall. Earning a shot at open company after a convincing score in the California Cup Sprint S. Jan. 16 at Santa Anita, the Alfred Pais homebred didn't disappoint, cruising to an impressive four-length victory despite setting a scorching pace in the GII San Carlos S. Mar. 6. Well-beaten in his next two, he rebounded with a 4 3/4-length success in the Cal-bred Thor's Echo S. last out June 12.

Dr. Schivel (Violence) takes on older horses in just his fifth career start. Taking three tries to break his maiden, he came right back to annex the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity for Luis Mendez, but went unseen for over nine months after that before eventually returning with a narrow allowance/optional claiming tally for new trainer Mark Glatt June 18 at Santa Anita.

Defending Bing Crosby champion Collusion Illusion (Twirling Candy) makes his 4-year-old debut here. Runner-up in the GII Santa Anita Championship S. after his local heroics, he was 12th in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint before rebounding some to be third in the GI Runhappy Malibu S.

Other contenders include Vertical Threat (Tapiture), last seen romping by 7 1/2 lengths with a 102 Beyer in last November's Steel Valley Sprint S. at Mahoning Valley, Quick Tempo (Tapizar), who did his name justice when setting splits of :21.44 and :43.35 before setting for second in the Iowa Sprint S. at Prairie Meadows July 3, and Eight Rings (Empire Maker), who's winless in four starts since capturing the GI American Pharoah S. as a juvenile but shows a sharp worktab for Bob Baffert that includes a five-furlong bullet in :58 3/5 (1/91) July 10 in Arcadia.

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Brown Honored with AVMA Award

Dr. Stuart Brown, vice president of equine safety at Keeneland, has been awarded the 2021 Meritorious Service Award by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Established in 2001, the award recognizes a veterinarian who has brought honor and distinction to the veterinary profession through personal, professional or community service activities that are conducted outside the scope of organized veterinary medicine or research. The AVMA Board of Directors selects the recipient.

“With his long, exemplary, and ongoing record of service, Dr. Stuart Brown epitomizes everything that the AVMA Meritorious Service Award represents,” said Dr. Douglas Kratt, president of the AVMA. “Throughout his career, Dr. Brown has established himself as a difference-maker in equine health and safety and proven himself more than qualified for this distinguished award.”

Brown's recent appointments include serving as chairman of the Gluck Equine Research Foundation, trustee for the AVMA Insurance Trust, American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates, director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA) and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (KTOB), member of the AAEP's Public Policy and Welfare Council, AAEP liaison to the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, board chairman of the University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, board member of the Thoroughbred Club of America and member of The Jockey Club.

Prior to joining Keeneland in June 2020, Brown served nearly 30 years at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, first as an intern and then as an associate veterinarian and a partner. With a primary focus on Thoroughbreds, his areas of concentration included equine reproduction, foal evaluations, private/public purchase evaluations, herd health and preventative medicine, federally required import/export protocols and issues affecting the welfare and safety of equine racing athletes.

Brown has previously been honored with the 2014 Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association Veterinarian of the Year, the 2017 AAEP President's Award, and the 2019 Terry Mobley Philanthropy Award from the University of Kentucky.

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