Tapit’s Mrs Danvers Romps in the Comely

Mrs. Danvers goes gate to wire to earn her black-type badge with a dominant score while trying two turns for the first time in the Comely Friday at the Big A. Seizing the early advantage, the gray loped through a :24.30 opening quarter and was confronted by longshot Project Whiskey, who pressed the pacesetter through a :48.69 half-mile. That rival burned out quickly and fell to the back as Mrs. Danvers continued strongly on the front end. The Joe Allen homebred opened up in the lane with ease under a hand ride from Jose Lezcano to win for fun.

“We were anxious to get her stretched out,” said winning trainer Shug McGaughey. “It’s just been kind of difficult to do so. This is what we felt like she wanted to do. Watching some of her allowance races, I wasn’t sure I was running her right. It looked like she was going to win and then she wouldn’t win. I think this is naturally what she wants to do is run this far. Being on the lead today definitely helped. I don’t think it’s something she needs, but going down the line she’ll be forwardly placed.”

The Hall of Famer continued, “Anytime you can get a win with a filly with a pedigree like that, especially for the breeder, [Joseph Allen], it means a lot. He believed in this filly.”

“She’s a nice filly,” said Lezcano. “Today, I let her break and run for the first quarter and she came back to me very nice. She was galloping along the whole way around. When I asked her to run, she jumped up in the bridle and took off.”

A second out graduate at Saratoga in 2019, Mrs. Danvers was not seen again for 10 months, finishing second in a Belmont allowance June 20. Completing the exacta again in the same condition at Belmont July 9, she was fifth to recent GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Sprint victress Gamine (Into Mischief) in Saratoga’s GI Test S. Aug. 8. Missing by a head back at Belmont Sept. 17, the homebred cleared her first-level allowance condition next out going a mile at Big Sandy Oct. 25.

Pedigree Notes:

Mrs. Danvers is the 139th black-type winner and 87th graded winner for her sire Tapit. She is also the 78th black-type scorer and 25th graded victor out of a daughter of Awesome Again. The winner’s dam Gracie Square is a half-sister to GISW and leading sire War Front (Danzig); MGSW & MGISP Teammate (A.P. Indy); MGSW Ecclesiastic (Pulpit); and recent GIII Red Smith S. winner North Dakota (Medaglia d’Oro). Gracie Square’s 3-year-old colt Nathan Detroit (Union Rags) won on debut at Ellis in July and was third next out in Keeneland’s GIII Bourbon S. Oct. 4 for McGaughey’s son Reeve McGaughey. The 10-year-old mare is also responsible for the juvenile filly Panama Hattie (Uncle Mo) and the yearling filly Starters Orders (Munnings). Gracie Square was bred back to Tapit this spring.

COMELY S.-GIII, $100,000, Aqueduct, 11-27, 3yo, f, 1 1/8m, 1:50.09, gd.
1–MRS. DANVERS, 118, f, 3, by Tapit
                1st Dam: Gracie Square, by Awesome Again
                2nd Dam: Starry Dreamer, by Rubiano
                3rd Dam: Lara’s Star, by Forli
   1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Allen
Stable, Inc.; B-Mr. Joseph Allen LLC (KY); T-Claude McGaughey;
J-Jose Lezcano. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 8-3-3-1, $211,800.
 Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: A+.
2–Ice Princess, 122, f, 3, Palace Malice–Happy Clapper, by
Awesome Again. ($75,000 Ylg ’18 SARAUG). O-Flying P Stable,
A. Hill Stable and Gargan, Danny; B-Mina Equivest LLC (NY);

T-Danny Gargan. $20,000.
3–Thankful, 118, f, 3, American Pharoah–Beholden, by Cat
Thief. ($625,000 Ylg ’18 FTSAUG). O-Bass Stables, LLC;
B-Profoal Partners 3, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $12,000.
Margins: 6 1/4, 4, 5HF. Odds: 3.75, 6.40, 4.90.
Also Ran: Toned Up, Gale, Miss Marissa, Project Whiskey, My Sweet Wife. Scratched: Makingcents, Pure Rhythm. 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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Nitrous Ends Drought With Opening-Day Thanksgiving Classic Victory At Fair Grounds

Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Stonestreet Stables LLC's Nitrous settled just off a torrid speed duel, kicked clear off the far turn, and held off the late run of favored Manny Wah by 1 ½ lengths to win the Opening Day $125,000 Thanksgiving Classic Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La.

Breaking alertly under Adam Beschizza, Nitrous was fifth of six early but just four lengths off a 21.52 pressured first quarter set by defending champion Bobby Wicked One, who was pressed from the outside by Landeskog. Landeskog quickly put Bobby's Wicked One away on the backside but Nitrous was quick to pounce. The 4-year-old son of Tapit opened up off the far turn, and easily held off the late run of the Manny Wah in a final time of 1:09.78 for six furlongs. It was another half length back to Mr Money Bags in third.

With a career record of 18-4-3-2, Nitrous increased his bankroll to $547,796.

Nitrous had faced some of the sprint division's best for trainer Steve Asmussen during a nine-race losing streak, while more than holding his own. He won for the first time since taking Oaklawn Park's Bachelor in April 2019. Asmussen's assistant Scott Blasi was on-hand to saddle the winner, and liked what he saw early on.

“I was pleased when I saw the two horses hook up, and the two behind them seemed to put some pressure on them as well,” Blasi said. “I thought Adam (jockey Beschizza) had him in a great spot early. Once he got him outside where he likes to run, he finished up well.”

Beschizza, who won two on the day, was pleased the race played out how it looked on paper, which hinted that both Bobby's Wicked One and Landeskog would set hot and contested fractions.

“We knew Bobby's Wicked One was the main speed in the race and he usually sets pretty good fractions,” Beschizza said. “The two of them were going at it early, so I was happy with my position early on. It was perfect for him, as he likes a scrap, and once he set his eyes on the leader, I don't think there was going to be much getting by him. I'm sure he won't be done with his winning ways throughout the meet.”

Nitrous was beaten just a nose in Belmont's Woody Stephens (G1) in June 2019 and entered off a close third, beaten just a head, in Pimlico's October 3 Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Dash (G3). Blasi thinks that the best is yet to come.

“I thought his last race was really good at Pimlico, he was unlucky not to win that day,” Blasi said. “He seems to be rounding into form, we always thought a lot him and look forward to him improving off this.”

Landeskog and Bobby's Wicked One tired from their early exploits and finished fourth and sixth, respectively, and were split by fifth place finisher Tringale.

Racing resumes Friday at 1:00 p.m. CT with a nine-race card.

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Curlin’s Voyage Retired, Will Be Bred To Tapit

Curlin's Voyage, by leading sire Curlin out of Atlantic Voyage, has been retired, according to an announcement from Hill 'n' Dale Farm Tuesday. The 3-year-old filly was bred and raised by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc.

Raced by John G. Sikura and Windsor Boys Racing and trained by Josie Carroll, Curlin's Voyage compiled an enviable record as a juvenile, being on the board five times in six starts including three wins, a second and a third.

Named Champion Two-Year-Old Filly in Canada, Curlin's Voyage validated her championship form at three with a convincing victory in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks.

She retires with earnings of $536,056 and will be bred to Three-Time Champion Sire Tapit for the 2021 breeding season.

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Into Mischief Passes Tapit, Sets Single-Season Earnings Record

With another productive weekend, which included a victory by the impressive first-time starter and “TDN Rising Star” Life Is Good at Del Mar, Into Mischief has set a new Northern Hemisphere record for most single-season earnings by a sire. According to TDN sire stats, Into Mischief’s offspring have earned $19,994,815 this year. The record had been held by Tapit, whose progeny earned $19,914,317 in 2016.

A win Saturday at Churchill Downs Saturday by Asar in an $85,000 maiden special weight race, moved Into Mischief into the top spot. He added to his totals with a win Sunday by Valletta in a $40,000 maiden claimer at Aqueduct and then picked up another $34,200 when the Bob Baffert-trained Life Is Good romped to a 9 1/2-length win as the 1-5 favorite in the betting.

With earnings of $11,465,367, Tapit is a distant second behind Into Mischief in 2020.

“He’s a remarkable horse,” said Spendthrift Farm General Manager Ned Toffey. “There’s not a lot left to say about him. He’s shown that he can get any level of horse and at the same time is very consistent. That’s what has allowed him to get to the level he has gotten to. He is so good mentally. Such a high percentage of the mares he breeds result in, first of all, a live foal, and, second of all, a good sound foal. They get to the racetrack and they perform. He’s been prolific at doing that and the offspring have been prolific at doing their job from a consistency standpoint and a brilliancy standpoint. We are proud to be associated with him.”

In addition to the earnings record, Into Mischief leads all stallions in several categories for the year. They include number of winners (178), wins (266), black-type winners (28), and black-type performers (58). With three Grade I winners, he is tied with Speightstown, Violence, War Front  and More Than Ready for the top spot in that category.

Into Mischief’s 2020 accomplishments will almost certainly include a Horse of the Year title. With his wins in the GI Haskell S., the GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, Authentic is a clear favorite for that title. He, alone, accounts for $6,160,000 of the total earned by Into Mischief’s offspring this year.

“Authentic is the horse that checked the last box in terms of his ability to get a Classic horse,” Toffey said. “That was the one question people still had about him, as remarkable as he has been as a sire. He started off at such a low price point, so the mare quality back then was not exactly stellar. But the great stallions seem to be able to overcome that. As he has added quality, you see the results of that. And the quality only continues to improve. As the mares have improved, you are starting to see these Classic-type of results. Authentic has very much demonstrated that.”

Into Mischief’s year also included a win in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, the GI Acorn S. and the GI Test S. by Gamine and a win by Dayoutoftheoffice in the GI Frizette S.

Into Mischief’s stud fee for 2021 has been set at $225,000.

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