Mia Mischief Rides Hot Streak Into Winning Colors
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Photo: Coady Photography
Mia Mischief bounds out of the turn on her way to victory in the Carousel Stakes at Oaklawn Park
Mia Mischief will carry different silks but the same high hopes when she makes a return appearance at Churchill Downs May 30 for the $100,000 Winning Colors Stakes (G3).
The 5-year-old Into Mischief mare, who captured last year's Humana Distaff Stakes (G1), Roxelana Overnight Stakes, and Dream Supreme Stakes beneath the Twin Spires, was purchased last fall by Stonestreet Stables for $2.4 million from the ELiTE consignment to The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's premier breeding stock sale in Lexington. She was owned previously by William and Corinne Heiligbrodt and later with partners Heider Family Stables and Madaket Stables.
She hasn't missed a beat since. Kept in training by Stonestreet's Barbara Banke, Mia Mischief returned to the barn of her longtime trainer, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, and twice won at Oaklawn Park from as many starts in 2020. After prevailing in an allowance-level race March 20, she returned with a 4 1/2-length score in the April 25 Carousel Stakes. Both Oaklawn races came at the Winning Colors distance of six furlongs.
Video: Carousel S. (BT)
"She's been unbelievably good to us," Asmussen said. "She's a beautiful mare that has been extremely good to anybody and everybody that has ever been involved with her."
Now comes her toughest test of the year in the Winning Colors, matched against eight other older females. Five are black-type stakes winners, and three—Break Even, Bell's the One, and Spiced Perfection—have grade 2 or grade 1 wins.
Mia Mischief is likely to be a clear favorite, with five wins and two seconds from eight starts on the Churchill Downs surface. Besides her local wins last year, she won an allowance race at Churchill as a juvenile and the Eight Belles Stakes Presented by Kentucky Trailer (G2) as a 3-year-old.
She has far less experience at Keeneland, taking a maiden race there in the slop at 2 and running third in the Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes (G2) in October, though Asmussen is looking to add to her tally in Lexington this year.
The $250,000 Madison Stakes (G1), recently rescheduled to July 11, fits in her plans, as does the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).
"That is why she is in training. God willing and good fortune, the Madison would be the next race after the Winning Colors," Asmussen said.
Ricardo Santana Jr. will return in the irons.
Like Mia Mischief, Break Even is an Eight Belles winner. The speedy homebred daughter of Country Day owned by Klein Racing and trained by Brad Cox won the race as a 3-year-old last year, along with three other stakes.
Break Even works in April at Oaklawn Park
Country Day was a three-time stakes winner for the Klein family under the direction of trainer Steve Margolis. He stands at Peach Lane Farms in Louisiana for $2,500.
Break Even made two starts at Oaklawn this winter and spring, finishing sixth in the Feb. 29 Spring Fever Stakes and rebounding with a three-length allowance-level win April 18 under Winning Colors jockey Joel Rosario.
“It’s very special to have top-quality racehorses that are almost all homebred,” owner Richard Klein said. “I think that speaks volumes to our family and the type of operation we are.”
A fast early pace would benefit Lothenbach Stables' Bell's the One, a deep closer who won the Lexus Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland last year, and Spiced Perfection, who typically plays the role of a stalker. Some of the latter's best races of 2019 came at Keeneland, where she won the Madison and defeated Mia Mischief in the Thoroughbred Club of America.
Spiced Perfection makes her first start for trainer Mark Casse and owner Haruya Yoshida after a private purchase over the winter. For all of last year and one start in 2020, she raced for trainer Peter Miller and owners Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable, and Peter Deutsch.
One of two millionaires in the field along with Mia Mischief, Spiced Perfection has been away since finishing fourth in the Jan. 25 Inside Information Stakes Presented by Runhappy Matchmaker Series (G2) at Gulfstream Park.
Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 30, 2020, Race 7Entries: Winning Colors S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Sneaking Out (CA)
Jose L. Ortiz
120
Jerry Hollendorfer
12/1
2
2Break Even (KY)
Joel Rosario
120
Brad H. Cox
9/5
3
3Princess Causeway (KY)
Chris Landeros
120
Ian R. Wilkes
12/1
4
4Bell's the One (KY)
Corey J. Lanerie
120
Neil L. Pessin
15/1
5
5Unique Factor (KY)
Florent Geroux
120
Peter Miller
30/1
6
6Take Charge Angel (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
120
Ben Colebrook
20/1
7
7Spiced Perfection (CA)
Javier Castellano
122
Mark E. Casse
7/2
8
8Mia Mischief (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
122
Steven M. Asmussen
8/5
9
9Lady Suebee (KY)
Tyler Baze
120
John W. Sadler
20/1
