Into Mischief

The stormy forecast that delayed the Big 'Cap card originally scheduled for Saturday at Santa Anita and the scratching of his sophomore sensation Nysos (Nyquist) did little to dampen Bob Baffert's day as Newgate (Into Mischief)'s last-jump victory in the GI Santa Anita H. gave the trainer three graded wins--plus, the exacta in the GII San Felipe S.--in Arcadia Sunday. The stallion-making partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, et al, co-owners of Newgate, doubled up on graded scores with Imagination (Into Mischief)'s win in...

The GII San Felipe S. last its headliner with the scratch of the Bob Baffert-trained Nysos (Nyquist), but Baffert still dominated the race with stablemates Imagination (Into Mischief) and Wine Me Up (Vino Rosso) running in tandem for much of the 1 1/16 miles and in lockstep down the stretch before Imagination just got his nose in front on the wire Sunday at Santa Anita. Of his one-two finish in the San Felipe, Baffert said, "We're trying to develop these horses, so it was good for both of them. Wine...

By now we're long familiar with the key transition that sealed the hegemony of Into Mischief. The moment of "Authentication" came in 2020, with a Horse of the Year from the first book of mares the Spendthrift phenomenon had covered even at $45,000; while the next crop, conceived at $75,000, produced a second consecutive GI Kentucky Derby winner in Mandaloun. While the latter was indebted to the disqualification of the winner, the fact remains that he managed to outstay the other 17 starters. In the process, he confirmed that Into...

Two turns? It turns out there's no problem. When Timberlake (c, 3, Into Mischief--Pin Up {Ire}, by Lookin At Lucky) finished a somewhat rank, then flat, fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November, questions swirled about his ability to get two turns. Trainer Brad Cox brushed the questions aside and let the horse do the talking. A freshened Timberlake, making his first start of the year in Oaklawn's GII Rebel S. Saturday, captured the $1.3-million race by a resounding two lengths over Kenny McPeek trainees Common Defense (Karakontie...

The TDN's popular annual series 'Mating Plans, presented by Spendthrift,' continues today in a conversation with Whisper Hill Farm's Mandy Pope.   Shedaresthedevil, 7, Daredevil—Starship Warpspeed, by Congrats. To be bred to Into Mischief. When we planned Shedaresthedevil's first mating, we chose Gun Runner because we loved the physical match and we also liked the Storm Cat and A.P. Indy in her pedigree for him.   She foaled January 29th, and the filly is everything that we had hoped and dreamed she could be! She is a big, strong chestnut filly...

6th-SA, $100K, AOC, 3yo, 1m, 4:30 p.m. Richard Mandella has ambitiously spotted REVISED STATUTE (Consitition) for his debut Sunday. The colt set expectations high when he nearly topped the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling sale, selling to Pin Oak Stud for $1,800,000. A son of GI Madison S. winner and $1.5m KEENOV broodmare Last Full Measure, Revised Statute is a half to GI Juddmonte Spinster S. heroine Valiance (Tapit), herself a $3m FTKNOV broodmare purchase. His second dam is Lazy Slusan, also a dual Grade I winner. Revised Statute will need...

'TDN Rising Star' Timberlake (Into Mischief), winner of last fall's GI Champagne S., could potentially launch his sophomore season in the GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Park Feb. 24. The Siena Farm and WinStar Farm colorbearer was last seen finishing a well-beaten fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Nov. 3. "He's pointing for it," trainer Brad Cox said. "We've got to see how our works go over the next several weeks, but he's doing well. Hopefully, we can get him there." Timberlake worked four furlongs in...

Recently crowned champion 3-year-old filly Pretty Mischievous (f, 4, Into Mischief--Pretty City Dancer, by Tapit), off since finishing a rallying second in the GI Cotillion S. over a sloppy, sealed track at Parx Sept. 23, has begun to gear up for her 2024 campaign. The Godolphin homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' is currently in training with Brendan Walsh at Palm Meadows in South Florida and could potentially return to action over Kentucky Derby weekend. "She went back to Brendan a couple of weeks ago," Godolphin USA Director of Bloodstock Michael...

2nd-GP, $89k, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 12:39p.m. ET RABDAH (Constitution), a half-sister to GSW-Eng Toro Strike (Toronado {Ire}), debuts here for Todd Pletcher and Al Shaqab Racing. Hailing from the immediate female line of Scarlet Tango (French Deputy), who tallies GISW Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song), herself dam of GSW Capensis (Tapit); GISW Visionaire (Grand Slam); and the dam of SP Ignitis (Nyquist), among others, Rabdah has been given an 8-1 morning line appraisal with jose Ortiz in the irons. To her outside is Segesta (Ghostzapper), a homebred for Juddmonte,...

Favored in the betting right up until the final bit of money poured into the pools, Track Phantom (Quality Road) took control of Saturday's GIII Lecomte S. at a chilly Fair Grounds Racecourse right from the opening bell and never looked like losing, leading past every pole to pick up 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Having earned 10 points for his victory in the local Gun Runner S. at the tail end of 2023, Track Phantom now sits atop the leaderboard with GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile...

4th-Gulfstream, $70,000, Msw, 1-14, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:10.81, ft, 1 1/2 lengths. ROSWELL (f, 3, Into Mischief--Acoma {GISW, $1,060,898}, by Empire Maker), receiving Lasix for this career debut, broke alertly and was shuffled back to the middle of the pack up the backstretch. Taking aim at the longshot pacemaker Far and Few (Omaha Beach) heading into the far turn, the 11-1 chance ranged up on the leader at the eighth pole while under an all-out drive and took control in the final jumps to get the win by 1 1/2...

Today we conclude our survey of Kentucky stallion options with a look at the apex of the pyramid, comprising a couple of dozen standing between $60,000 and $250,000--besides whatever it might take to secure your mare an audience with Justify. It feels presumptuous enough to offer counsel even on cheaper sires, when each mating should boil down to you finding an optimal fit for an individual mare that you know inside out. Still greater hesitation, then, must precede any attempt to discover "value" among this lot. No stallion has any...