Maddie May Winner Make Mischief Among Fillies Eyeing Kentucky Oaks Points In March 6 Busher

Following a rail-riding triumph in Saturday's $100,000 Maddie May against fellow New York-bred fillies, trainer Chris Englehart said Gary Barber's Make Mischief could return to open company in the $250,000 Busher Invitational on March 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y

The Busher is a qualifying prep race for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs and awards the top-four finishers points on a 50-20-10-5 scale. The most recent winner of the Busher to win the Kentucky Oaks was King of Prussia Stable's Princess of Sylmar in 2013.

Make Mischief, a daughter of Into Mischief, secured an early stalking position behind pacesetter Brattle House, who commanded leisurely fractions. In mid-stretch, jockey Eric Cancel had just enough room to the inside of the frontrunner to take advantage a few strides outside the wire and win by a neck. Make Mischief, who earned a 71 Beyer Speed Figure in victory, has never finished worse than second in six of seven lifetime starts while boasting $207,750 in earnings.

Make Mischief earned graded stakes black type during her juvenile campaign when finishing second in the Grade 3 Schuylerville and Grade 2 Adirondack for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, both at Saratoga Race Course.

Casse sent Make Mischief to Englehart's care for a winter campaign launched by an allowance victory going seven furlongs on January 31 at the Big A.

“We were pretty confident with her going in,” Englehart said. “We thought she would run well, and she did. It was a little worrisome when [Brattle House] went slow up front, but she came through really well like she was supposed to.”

Englehart said he would monitor the filly's energy level before making a decision on her next start, but did not rule out the Busher Invitational.

“We're invited to the Busher,” Englehart said. “We'll keep our options open with her and see how she trains, but that would be something we'll consider.”

Bred by Avanti Stable, Make Mischief is out of the Speightstown mare Speightful Lady and was bought by Flamingo Bloodstock for $285,000 from the 2019 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Paramount Sales.

Miss Brazil Breezes For Busher
Miss Brazil won her stakes debut last out in the Ruthless on February 8 at Aqueduct and returned to the work tab for the first time since that 6 1/4-length score, breezing four furlongs in 48.89 seconds over the Belmont Park dirt training track on Saturday.

Trainer Tony Dutrow said the sophomore Palace Malice filly came out of that effort in good order and continues to progress heading into her expected start in the $250,000 Busher Invitational on March 6.

Miss Brazil, owned by Team D, capped her juvenile campaign with a maiden-breaking win at second asking on November 29 at the Ozone Park-based track, earning a 93 Beyer. In her 3-year-old debut, she wired a three-horse field in her first start stretching out to seven furlongs.

In the Busher, she will compete at a one-turn mile for the first time and face more challenging competition, as the race is a qualifier for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, offering 50-20-10-5 points to the top-four finishers.

“She leads us to believe that seven furlongs to a mile is within her ability, but we'll find out for sure,” Dutrow said. “She'll probably meet the best horses she's ever faced before, and with an added distance, so we know we have to past this test. But I'm happy with how the progression has gone so far.”

Miss Brazil, who ran third in her debut in October over Belmont's Big Sandy, was bred in Kentucky by Haymarket Farm. Dutrow said he's been pleased with her improvement, including besting Gulf Coast, who had won a stakes at Gulfstream Park in the Cash Run before competing in the Ruthless.

“I feel good about the way she handled a Gulfstream Park-stakes winner in her last race and I feel good about what she's accomplished so far,” Dutrow said. “We're very happy with the way she's been training on the track at Belmont Park and the way she broke her maiden there; those were the factors in keeping her in New York this winter. She stays very good training there and she has a fondness for the Aqueduct surface. That's why we went the New York route this winter.”

Impressive Maiden Winner Mo Desserts 50-50 For Busher
Trainer Jimmy Jerkens said plans are currently in flux for impressive maiden winner Mo Desserts.

Owned by Late Night Stables, Mo Desserts tasted sweet victory in her second start, where she stretched out to a one-turn mile in style with a pacesetting 15 ½-length romp over a fast main track on February 8 at the Big A, garnering an 81 Beyer.

The chestnut daughter of second-crop sire Nyquist could race back in the $250,000 Busher Invitational, but Jerkens said plans are still up in the air.

“We're fifty-fifty right now,” Jerkens said. “She ran really well when she broke her maiden, but there was a bit of a rail bias that day, so we took that into consideration. It was still, all in all, what we were hoping for.”

Mo Desserts returned to the work tab on Thursday morning with a three-furlong move in 37.70 seconds over the Belmont Park training track.

“We weren't looking for much the other day,” Jerkens said. “She's not the heftiest thing in the world, she's kind of slight.”

Bred in Kentucky by DJ Stable, Mo Desserts was purchased for $300,000 from the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. She is out of the Dynaformer mare Frozen Treat – a full-sister to dual turf graded stakes winner Masseuse.

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Miss Brazil Easily Defeats Short Field In Monday’s Ruthless, Oaks Prep Up Next

Team D's Miss Brazil validated her heavy 2-5 favoritism, taking command from the gate and drawing away easily in the stretch for a 6 1/4-length victory in the $100,000 Ruthless for 3-year-old fillies on Monday at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Ruthless, which was moved from Sunday to Monday after heavy snow forced the entire card to be pushed back a day, saw a three-horse field of Miss Brazil, Gulf Coast and Dealing Justice compete with It Can and Little Huntress scratched.

Miss Brazil, with Eric Cancel aboard from the inside post, led the compact field through the opening quarter-mile in 23.32 seconds and the half in 46.34 on the fast main track. Miss Brazil led handily out of the turn and had plenty left in the stretch, completing the seven furlongs in 1:24.92 in her sophomore bow.

Miss Brazil made her debut on Oct. 25, running third on the Belmont Park turf. Trainer Tony Dutrow said he thought the Palace Malice filly would prefer the main track, and she took to the surface with a maiden-breaking score on Aqueduct's dirt on Nov. 29.

Well-rested for her first start of 2021, Miss Brazil improved to 2-for-2 on the main track and returned $2.90 on a $2 win wager, besting Gulf Coast, who finished 45 3/4 lengths ahead of Dealing Justice, who was eased through to the wire.

“She's been very good in all three of her races,” Dutrow said. “Both her maiden win and today shows plenty. She's always promised to be a nicer kind of filly, so getting her ready for this race was easy. She's a better kind of horse and she does it all.”

Purchased for $170,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Miss Brazil will now look to stretch out to a mile in the $250,000 Busher Invitational on March 6 at Aqueduct. The Busher offers 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top-four finishers towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs.

“I'm feeling good about her at one mile at Aqueduct in the Busher,” Dutrow said. “I feel that won't be an issue for her. As far as two turns goes and her future after that, we'll have to wait and see how she does in the Busher.”

Cancel won his second consecutive stakes win after the rider piloted Risk Taking to victory in Saturday's Grade 3 Withers.

“I wanted to be on the lead to dictate the pace and take it from there,” Cancel said. “She's a very honest filly so I didn't have any doubts about her today. She's pretty straightforward and I had plenty of gas in the tank. I just wanted to give her a good ride and it worked out well.”

WinStar Stablemates Racing's Gulf Coast, conditioned by Rodolphe Brisset and ridden by Manny Franco, is 2-2-0 in four career stats, including runner-up efforts in the Sandpiper in December at Tampa Bay Downs and a stakes win in the Cash Run on New Year's Day at Oaklawn Park.

“The scratch of the speed [Little Huntress] hurt us a little bit given we were looking to stalk the pace,” Brisset said. “Nobody else could go with the favorite, so we had to go after her. Manny rode a great race. She may have broke a little slower than we were hoping for, but after that we just went on and tried to put pressure on the winner. But the winner was much the best.

“It's a long way to come to run second, but I'm happy with her race,” he added. “She tried hard. Hopefully, she can regroup and try another spot.”

Live racing at Aqueduct will continue on Friday with a first post of 1:20 p.m. Racing will be conducted four days this week, starting Friday and concluding Monday with a special Presidents Day holiday card.

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Duopoly Records Front-Running Victory In Winter Memories At Aqueduct

Klaravich Stables' Duopoly surged to the front and never relinquished the lead, going gate-to-wire while holding off game longshot High Opinion in deep stretch for a three-quarters of a length score in Sunday's $100,000 Winter Memories for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

One of two entrants for trainer Chad Brown, Duopoly, who was coming off a fifth-place effort in her stakes debut last out in the Grade 3 Pin Oak Valley View last month at Keeneland, broke sharp from post 5 under Irad Ortiz, Jr., leading the seven-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 24.75 seconds and the half in 50.15 on the inner turf coursed labeled good.

With Vigilantes Way giving close pursuit, Duopoly continued to lead, with three-quarters going in 1:14.52, and continued to pace the field out of the final turn, being kept near the rail when straightening for home. In the stretch, the Animal Kingdom filly responded to her jockey's urging as Vigilantes Way pressed her from the immediate outside while High Opinion made a valiant charge from the three-path.

High Opinion pulled into second and continued to challenge, but Duopoly completed the 1 1/16-mile course in a final time of 1:44.80 to notch her third win in five career starts.

“She relaxed and went so well,” said Ortiz, Jr., who registered his day's third win. “She went into the first turn pretty well and when we got to the backside, she started getting out a little bit, but I didn't panic because I knew she could do it and I knew she would keep going. I just rode her with patience, relaxed and didn't try to fight her too much. Turning for home, I asked her, and she had plenty left.”

Off at 5-2, Duopoly returned $7.90 on a $2 win wager. The $160,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale improved her career earnings to $128,034.

“There wasn't too much speed in the race today, so we wanted to take advantage of that,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “We know she's fast, so I let her break out of there and she was comfortable. She did it pretty easy.”

Woodford Racing and Team D Stable's High Opinion, the longest shot in the field at 25-1, rewarded trainer Tony Dutrow's decision to elevate her to stakes company following her last-out win on October 10 at Belmont, finishing a half-length in front of Vigilantes Way for second.

“The filly ran very well. I was expecting a big run from her,” said Eric Cancel, the rider aboard High Opinion. “Her last performance was really good. Today, she stepped up in the game and ran very well. I had a nice trip. I tried to follow the winner, and everything worked out well. We didn't win, but I'm very happy with the way that she ran. She's a pretty brave filly. She kept on fighting and never gave up.”

Speaktomeofsummer, Selflessly [also trained by Brown], Crystalle and Faccio Io completed the order of finish. Thankful, entered for the main track only, was scratched.

Live racing resumes on Thursday at the Big A with a 10-race card. First post is 11:50 a.m.

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