Giant Mischief Looks Like Future Star in Allowance Win
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Photo: Coady Photography
Giant Mischief wins an allowance optional claiming race at Keeneland
Time will tell, but there may have been a future star or two who didn't run in a Breeders' Cup race on Future Stars Friday at the World Championships.
The fourth race on the 10-race card Nov. 4 at Keeneland was an allowance optional claiming race for 2-year-olds and it featured a lively stretch battle between two debut winners from major outfits who distanced themselves from the rest of the 10-horse field and could be popping up in stakes company before too long.
Giant Mischief , a son of Into Mischief trained by Brad Cox, prevailed by three-quarters of a length over the Bob Baffert-trained 3-5 favorite, Arabian Lion , in a race that saw the top two separate themselves by a Flightline -like 17 1/2-lengths from the third finisher, Old Alliance .
"I didn't expect this. The funny thing is I'm a crazy bettor and I didn't bet him," said Martin S. Schwartz, who said he was one of the three main partners along with Spendthrift Farm and Steve Landers Racing in the massive ownership group. "It's been a while between drinks for me in winning a race like this, but Brad is the real deal. He knows his stuff."
Schwartz may have missed out on a $14 win price but there should be more opportunities in the not-so-distant future based on the way that Giant Mischief outdueled Arabian Lion in the final furlong and crossed the finish line in 1:22.30 for seven furlongs under jockey Florent Geroux.
The victory came on the heels of a 1½-length victory in the 2-year-old's Sept. 22 debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
"We hope he turns out to be a future star," said Ned Toffey, general manager of Spendthrift Farm. "It took a little longer for him to come around but he made a huge move forward today. It's not always the best thing to be early. A 2-year-old starting now could be a good thing moving forward into a 3-year-old season. So, fingers crossed. He made a big move today and he certainly has the pedigree and the look and the shape of a horse who can stretch out. That will be the next step down the road."
Toffey said he was steered toward Giant Mischief by Brad Weisbord and Liz Crow of BSW/Crow, who bought the son of the Giant Oak mare Vertical Oak for $475,000 among their purchases at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
"It was something Brad Weisbord and Liz Crow approached us about," Toffey said about buying a share of the bay colt bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, which retained a piece of him when the 12-pronged ownership group was formed. "One of the goals for (Spendthrift owner) Eric Gustavson since he's taken over at Spendthrift is to have stallions at the end of the day. So we tried to spread out and partner on a lot of young colts. After all, this is a numbers game. You have to spread out. If you buy two or three, even if you think they are nice ones, you are probably going to end up disappointed. So, this gave us the opportunity to spread things around more and give us a few more bullets. This was a horse we liked and Brad and Liz liked."
Giant Mischief is the first of two foals from Vertical Oak, a grade 2-winning sprinter. She also has a weanling Curlin filly.
Zedan Racing Stables' Arabian Lion, a son of Justify , was coming off a three-length score in his Oct. 9 debut at Santa Anita Park. He was purchased for $600,000 from the Hidden Brook consignment at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.