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Classic Empire Filly Makes the Grade in Royal Delta

Saturday's GIII Royal Delta S. looked like a rematch of last March's local GII Davona Dale S., with New York-bred Classy Edition turning the tables on favored foe Kathleen O. after enjoying a decided tactical advantage early.

Named a 'TDN Rising Star' off her dominant Saratoga debut at two, Classy Edition dominated in a pair of restricted stakes downstate that fall before suffering her first defeat at the hooves of Kathleen O. She was subsequently fourth in the GIII Gazelle S. at the Big A in April, but resurfaced to drub first-level open optional claiming foes going a mile here Jan. 11, good for a 96 Beyer Speed Figure top.

Late-running Kathleen O. fell out of the gate, but Classy Edition broke cleanly and was wrapped up by Irad Ortiz, Jr. as they cruised through opening splits of :25.28 and :50.15. Ortiz gave his mount her cue to pick it up rounding the bend, and she took a narrow advantage heading for home as longshot Tap Dance Fever (Tapiture) tried to stay with her and the chalk revved up out wide. Classy Edition swatted away Tap Dance Fever at the quarter pole, and Kathleen O. narrowed the gap in the lane, but Class Edition's edge proved insurmountable.

“She was going good on the backside. We were going slow but she was close to the lead,” Ortiz said. “I let her do her thing and she did the rest.”

Winning conditioner Todd Pletcher said, “I was pretty pleased. We got to a good spot and it looked like Irad had a lot of horse, just waiting to pull the trigger… We really thought highly of her. She showed quality. She ran a good second in the race here and then needed some time off. She came back really well. I thought her comeback race was excellent. We kind of had a little tactical edge today and she was able to get it done.”

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
ROYAL DELTA S.-GIII, $150,000, Gulfstream, 2-18, 4yo/up, f/m,
1 1/16m, 1:45.15, ft.
1–CLASSY EDITION, 120, f, 4, by Classic Empire
   1st Dam: Newbie, by Bernardini
   2nd Dam: Changeisgonnacome, by Cherokee Run
   3rd Dam: Top Tip, by Lost Code
   1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'
($550,000 2yo '21 EASMAY). O-Lawana L. & Robert E. Low;
B-Chester Broman & Mary R. Broman (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher;
J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $91,140. Lifetime Record: 7-5-1-0, $372,790.
*1/2 to Newly Minted (Central Banker), MSW, $516,738;
1/2 to New Girl in Town (Boys At Tosconova), MSP, $172,505.
Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross
pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Kathleen O., 120, f, 4, Upstart–Quaver, by Blame.
($8,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $50,000 Ylg '20 OBSOCT; $275,000
2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Winngate Stables, LLC; B-Gainesway
Thoroughbreds LTD & Bridlewood Farm, LLC (KY); T-Claude R.
McGaughey III. $29,400.
3–Don't Get Khozy, 120, m, 6, Khozan–Get Noticed, by Graeme
Hall. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($10,000 Ylg '18 OBSOCT).
O-Imaginary Stables; B-Special Effort Farm, Laura Colon &
Michael Colon (FL); T-Elizabeth L. Dobles. $14,700.
Margins: 1 3/4, 4, HF. Odds: 1.10, 0.90, 76.30.
Also Ran: Tap Dance Fever, Soul of an Angel, Midnight Stroll,
Jungle Juice (Ire). Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Classy Edition was her sire's priciest first-crop juvenile at $550,000 after a good-looking :10 1/5 breeze at Timonium, and became his third graded stakes winner–the previous two also sold as 2-year-olds that term (Morello, $250K at the same sale; and Interstatedaydream, $175K at OBSAPR), and Angel of Empire made it four in Saturday evening's GII Risen Star S. She is one of 39 worldwide graded winners out of mares by top broodmare sire Bernardini and is bred Pioneerof the Nile over Bernardini like GISW Matareya and from the same Unbridled line as highest-level winners out of Bernardini mares Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) and Wicked Whisper (Liam's Map). Angel of Empire is out of a mare by Bernardini's son To Honor and Serve.

The winner's dam Newbie was a first-level allowance winner in the Empire state, and also produced $500,000-plus MSW Newly Minted (Central Banker). The daughter of SW/GSP Changeisgonnacome was a $320,000 in utero purchase by Chester and Mary Broman at the 2008 Keeneland November sale. Newbie has an unraced 3-year-old colt named Pharoah Lake (American Pharoah) and a yearling colt by Vekoma. She was barren to Curlin for 2023.

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‘Rising Star’ Pretty Mischievous Springs The Upset In Rachel Alexandra

The betting public was pretty sure that an Into Mischief filly out of a Tapit mare would emerge victorious in Saturday's GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton, but they only got it half right. It wasn't 2-5 Hoosier Philly who picked up the 50 GI Kentucky Oaks points, but instead Godolphin homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Pretty Mischievous who starred at Fair Grounds. Pacesetting longshot Miracle (by Into Mischief's younger brother Mendelssohn) stretched Pretty Mischievous to 3/4 of a length, and was another 7 3/4 lengths clear of Hoosier Philly.

A good-looking off-the-pace winner first up at Churchill Downs sprinting Sept. 18, the Brendan Walsh-trained Pretty Mischievous added an allowance in the slop there at the end of October. The daughter of GISW Pretty City Dancer was five lengths behind Hoosier Philly in third when stretching out for the GII Golden Rod S. Nov. 26, but bounced right back to take the local Untapable S. on the day after Christmas. She was flattered when runner-up The Alys Look (Connect) bested stablemate Chop Chop (City of Light) in last month's Silverbulletday S., and the 80 Beyer Speed Figure she earned that day was only one point behind what Hoosier Philly earned in the Golden Rod. Chop Chop owned the field's best Beyer of 88, and was the clear second choice in the wagering–Pretty Mischievous was third in the betting at 8-1.

Hoosier Philly bobbled at the break, but Pretty Mischievous was off cleanly and drafted in between foes just behind Miracle. She got down to the rail under Tyler Gaffalione behind a :48.85 half, and was asked in earnest following six furlongs in 1:13.05. Miracle boxed on, and Hoosier Philly started to come alive out wide, but Pretty Mischievous wanted it most, and wore down the pacesetter despite that one leaning on her a bit in the lane.

“Before she ran Brendan told me we had a really special one in the barn,” Gaffalione said. “She keeps improving physically and mentally. Today, I sat in a perfect spot and let Johnny [Velazquez] go on Miracle while Luis [Saez and Untapable third Vahva {Gun Runner}] tracked inside.”

Walsh, who was celebrating his first Rachel Alexandra win, said, “She never missed a beat from her first start at two until now. We knew we'd have to give her a rest at some point because we didn't want to go to the well too often. We were quietly confident she'd be good enough and today we found out she is. Now, we'll see how she comes out of things, talk things over with the ownership team and get her to be 110% on the big day in May.”

With the 50 points she picked up Saturday, Pretty Mischievous now sits atop the GI Kentucky Oaks standings with 63 points.

Saturday, Fair Grounds
RACHEL ALEXANDRA S. PRESENTED BY FASIG-TIPTON-GII,
$291,000, Fair Grounds, 2-18, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:45.15, ft.
1–PRETTY MISCHIEVOUS, 122, f, 3, by Into Mischief
          1st Dam: Pretty City Dancer (GISW, $286,344), by Tapit
          2nd Dam: Pretty City, by Carson City
          3rd Dam: Pretty Special, by Riverman
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Godolphin
(KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $180,000.
Lifetime Record: SP, 5-4-0-1, $421,310. Werk Nick Rating:
A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Miracle, 122, f, 3, Mendelssohn–Good Omen, by Smart
Strike. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($110,000 Wlg '20 FTKNOV;
$250,000 Ylg '21 SARAUG; $360,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR).
O-WinStar Farm LLC and Siena Farm LLC; B-Magnolia Mares,
LLC & Pony Express Sales,Inc. (NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$60,000.
3–Hoosier Philly, 122, f, 3, Into Mischief–Tapella, by Tapit.
($510,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Gold Standard Racing Stable, LLC;
B-Candy Meadows LLC (KY); T-Thomas M. Amoss. $30,000.
Margins: 3/4, 7 3/4, 2. Odds: 8.10, 13.50, 0.40.
Also Ran: Vahva, Chop Chop, Knockyoursocksoff.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO,
sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

Perennial leading sire Into Mischief already has five graded stakes winners this year, and is responsible for three of the top four on the Oaks leaderboard with 2022 champion juvenile filly Wonder Wheel third and Hoosier Philly fourth. The Spendthrift super sire now has 63 graded winners but is still in search of a first Kentucky Oaks winner.

Recent GIII Holy Bull S. winner Rocket Can and Hoosier Philly are the other two graded winners by Into Mischief out of Tapit mares, but that number almost certainly has to rise rapidly in the coming years considering they've got seven champion sire titles between them. Tapit, still on the young side as broodmare sire, is responsible for the dams of 39 graded/group winners worldwide thus far.

Pretty Mischievous's dam Pretty City Dancer dead-heated with another Tapit filly in the 2016 GI Spinaway S. for trainer Mark Casse and John Oxley. The $825,000 KEESEP yearling was off the board in subsequent route tries on the Oaks trail, but still fetched $3.5 million while in foal to Medaglia d'Oro at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton November sale. The resulting filly broke through in a two-turn Indiana maiden special weight in October. Pretty Mischievous came next, but the half-sister to GISW Lear's Princess (Lear Fan) was barren to Uncle Mo for 2021. She produced another Medaglia d'Oro filly last March, and was bred back to Street Sense.

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Into Mischief Colts Shoot For Derby Points in Hyacinth

Tokyo Racecourse is the site of the third leg of this year's Japan Road to the Triple Crown, the $273,301 Listed Hyacinth S. going the one turn mile. A field of 14, including a pair of expensive American-bred sons of Into Mischief, look to capitalize on the fact that the winners of the first two legs of the four-race series–Continuar (Jpn) (Drefong) and Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits), have hit the road for a significantly more valuable test in next Saturday's G3 Saudi Derby in Riyadh.

Great Sand Sea (Into Mischief) is the least-experience of those signed on, having made just one previous appearance, but the $385,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $825,000 OBS April breezer made the most of it. The bay colt sat a three-wide, no-cover trip before fighting on gamely to score a narrow victory over Holonic Path (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}) in a 1400-meter maiden over this surface Nov. 19 (see below, SC 8) and the latter franked the form of the race when graduating by nearly 10 lengths in his next start. Joao Moreira, who rides Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) in the G1 February S. two races later, takes the call.

The other Into Mischief colt is Meta Max, a $180,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad who fetched $1.1 million at OBS March and broke his maiden when trying the dirt for the first time over five furlongs Jan. 21.

Perriere (Jpn) (Henny Hughes) is the overnight favorite, having defeated next-out romper Yuttitham (Jpn) (Justify–Zipessa) on Sapporo debut in August and adding a Tokyo allowance before finishing third to to the aforementioned Derma Sotogake and Omatsuri Otoko (Jpn) (Vittorio d'Oro) in the Listed Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun Dec. 14.

The Hyacinth offers Kentucky Derby points on a 30-12-6-3 scale for the top four finishers. The final race on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby is the Fukuryu S. (allowance) going nine furlongs at Nakayama Mar. 25.

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Uncle Mo’s Bishops Bay Gives Trainer Brad Cox Win #2,000

5th-Fair Grounds, $70,000, Msw, 2-18, 3yo, 6f, 1:10.07, ft, 3/4 length.
BISHOPS BAY (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Catch My Drift {SW & GISP, $280,540}, by Pioneerof the Nile) was a popular wagering choice for his career bow, breaking from the gates as the 1-2 chalk under jockey Florent Geroux. With good early speed from mid pack, the $450,000 Keeneland yearling moved between rivals to just sit just off the flank of pacesetter Ocean City (American Pharoah) through a quick opening quarter in :22.14. Applying consistent pressure to that early leader into the far turn, Bishops Bay took over under his own power as the top pair swung into the turn. A game First Mission (Street Sense) made a late run down the stretch but Bishops Bay had enough of a gap built up to hold off his stablemate by three-quarters of a length for a Brad Cox exacta. Ocean City came home fourth while Unload (Gun Runner) and St. John's (Hard Spun) were the last two home. Catch My Drift, herself an accomplished race mare, is also responsible for Strava (Into Mischief), MSP, $282,340. Her 2-year-old Constitution colt brought $575,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale and she dropped a filly by Improbable last year before visiting Not This Time for the 2023 season. Sales History: $450,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Spendthrift Farm LLC, Steve Landers Racing LLC, Martin S. Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, Jim Bakke, Titletown Racing, LLC, Kueber Racing, LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC, Winners Win, Michael Caruso & WinStar Farm, LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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