Make Mischief Heads Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Make Mischief wins on debut at Belmont Park
Gary Barber's Make Mischief will headline a field of six in the $150,000 Adirondack Stakes (G2), a 6 1/2-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies Aug. 12 at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Mark Casse, Make Mischief won on debut June 18 at Belmont Park and followed up with a runner-up finish in the July 16 Schuylerville Stakes (G3) behind Dayoutoftheoffice after setting a pressured pace through the first half-mile in splits of :22.29 and :45.57.
"I thought her last race was much improved," Casse said. "She won first time out, but I was a little disappointed in (that performance). I thought she would win a little easier than she did, but she didn't help herself. … I thought her last race was good, (they) kind of had to hustle from the inside, and unfortunately she got the inside again, so she's going to have to probably get into the race early, but she's showed she can handle that and she's trained well since the (last) race."
Make Mischief has had one timed work at Saratoga since that effort, breezing four furlongs Aug. 2 in :49.03. The filly bred by Avanti Stable in New York was bought by Flamingo Bloodstock for $285,000 from the Paramount Sales consignment to the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Select Yearling Sale.
"We just need a little luck," Casse added, referring to his season so far at Saratoga, which saw Frankel At Ascot crash through the inner rail while on the lead in an Aug. 9 maiden test. Casse said the filly is doing fine. "I've had a few unfortunate incidents."
Make Mischief was dubbed the morning-line favorite at odds of 9-5 and will be ridden from Post 2 by John Velazquez.
Just a tick higher on the morning line is Steve Asmussen trainee Thoughtfully at odds of 2-1. The Tapit filly romped in her only start so far, scoring by 8 3/4 lengths in a June 11 maiden race going 5 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs.
Purchased by Heider Family Stables for $950,000 from the Gainesway consignment to The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale in New York, Thoughtfully is out of the Seeking the Gold mare Pension, who is also the dam of grade 2 winner Annual Report and stakes winner Giant Payday.
She will again be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. from Post 4.
Trainer Todd Pletcher brings another first-out winner in Lucifers Lair, a Maryland-bred Quality Road filly that bested a field of nine others in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden test July 19 at Saratoga. A homebred for The Elkstone Group, the filly settled in second for the first half-mile in her debut and then took over to lead at the top of the stretch under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.
"She had trained like a filly that was capable of winning her debut. She's a pretty professional, straightforward sort so we were hoping for a good race," Pletcher said. "She was early to come in and we had a good foundation into her, so we felt like we had her pretty fit going into that. By Quality Road, you would think that she would improve stretching out, as well."
Ortiz returns for her stakes debut Wednesday. The pair will leave Post 5.
Ava's Grace, who drew the rail, and Lilac Lace both won their debuts in July. The only horse in the race with two starts under her belt that is still a maiden is Beautiful Farewell, who drew the outside post.
Saratoga Race Course, Wednesday, August 12, 2020, Race 9Entries: Adirondack S. (G2)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Ava's Grace (KY)
David Cohen
120
Robertino Diodoro
10/1
2
2Make Mischief (NY)
John R. Velazquez
120
Mark E. Casse
9/5
3
3Lilac Lace (FL)
Javier Castellano
120
Anthony T. Quartarolo
6/1
4
4Thoughtfully (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
120
Steven M. Asmussen
2/1
5
5Lucifers Lair (MD)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
120
Todd A. Pletcher
3/1
6
6Beautiful Farewell (KY)
Joel Rosario
118
Michael Stidham
8/1
