Into Mischief Colt Takes Command Late Over Gulfstream Allowance Types

7th-Gulfstream, $72,000, Alw (NW1X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 1-5, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.55, ft, neck.
CHANGE OF COMMAND (c, 3, Into Mischief–Moi, by Medaglia d'Oro) made steady improvement over a trio of maiden attempts during the NYRA meets starting in late August–the last coming with a runner-up result at Aqueduct Nov. 4. Heading to Gulfstream, the bay found his stride to graduate by 6 1/2 lengths Dec. 17. Trying two turns for the first time, the 11-10 choice paced himself into the first turn just off of Cardinale (Speightstown). Shadowing the leader, the 3-year-old was given his cue at the three-eighths marker and took over the top spot. Cardinale proved a stubborn foe and the pair locked in a stretch battle, but it was Change of Command who gained the advantage in the shadow of the wire and won by a neck. “When that horse came back to him, he kind of went on from there,” Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said. “As you saw around the turn, it looked like he was going to win by himself, and he did that the last time a little bit. He didn't want to finish as well as I'd like. I've got to do some work to figure things out. I hope this moves him forward. He had to kind of belly down and run, so that should help him. We'll take him back to Payson [Park] and find out.” Tied for the 12th highest price during the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the winner is his dam's first to the races. The colt does have a 2-year-old half-sister by Instilled Regard and a yearling half-brother by Instagrand. A $750,000 purchase by OXO Equine at the 2016 Keeneland September Sale, Moi is a full-sister to Mrs McDougal (Medgalia d'Oro), the dam of GII Twilight Derby hero Seal Team (GB) (WarFront). Sales History: $570,000 Wlg '21 FTKNOV; $1,050,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-1, $113,300. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald Adam); B-OXO Equine LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III.

#3 CHANGE OF COMMAND ($4.20) holds off a fight from Cardinale to take Race 7 at @GulfstreamPark! This 3YO colt by Into Mischief (@spendthriftfarm) is trained by Shug McGaughey and was ridden by @jose93_ortiz. pic.twitter.com/BvIcBCIVdV

— TVG (@TVG) January 5, 2024