Everso Mischievous Prevails in Forty Niner Stakes
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Photo: Coglianese Photos
Everso Mischievous wins the Forty Niner Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack
In his early races, Everso Mischievous had a frustrating habit of living up to name.
A 3-year-old son of Into Mischief , he gave off hints of having a world of talent but had a habit of waiting on rivals, explaining a record of a win in his second start sandwiched around narrow second-place finishes.
Then this summer at Saratoga Race Course, the Qatar Racing runner added blinkers and blossomed. An allowance win at the Spa led to a decisive victory in the Harrods Creek Stakes at Churchill Downs followed by his Oct. 28 heroics in his graded stakes debut for trainer Brad Cox.
Fending off challenges on the turn and late in the stretch, Everso Mischievous displayed poise and determination in facing older rivals and registering a half-length victory in the $300,000 Forty Niner Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
"He held off some pretty good horses. I'm proud of the horse and the jockey (Cristian Torres) who had never ridden in New York. He came up and rode a great race. The plan worked out," Cox said. "He waited on horses in his first start but kept getting better."
Cox credited owner Sheikh Fahad Al Thani for a willingness to tangle with older horses in a one-turn mile graded stakes and Saturday's effort certainly opens the door for one more race before 2024, either the Dec. 2 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct for 3-year-olds-and-up or the Dec. 26 Malibu Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita Park. As for next year, though the son of the Medaglia d'Oro filly Ever So Clever has yet to race beyond a mile, longer races could be on the horizon.
"He's an Into Mischief and they can do everything really good.That's what you get with that stallion," Cox said about the $85,000 purchase from the Highgate Sales consignment at the 2022 Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale. "Once we get him back home to Kentucky, we'll let him take a deep breath and see where we go."
Bred by Clearsky Farms, Everso Mischievous showed speed from the break, rating in second as 14-1 shot Swiftsure set quick fractions of :45.89 and 1:09.96. Midway on the turn, Torres sent Everso Mischievous after the lead, but was joined from the outside by Film Star .
Approaching the eighth pole, the 3-year-old edged away from those two only to have the Chad Brown-trained duo of Accretive and Dr. Ardito come charging at him from the outside.
The pair made it interesting but Torres guided the 5-2 second choice ($7.20) under the wire in 1:35.32, with Dr. Ardito, who was sixth in the field of seven after six furlongs, taking second in the newly minted Forty Niner, which was previously named the Kelso Handicap (G2).
"To win a stakes race in any part of the country is awesome, but NYRA? It's great," Torres said.
A 5-year-old Liam's Map gelding owned by Michael Caruso and Michael Dubb, Dr. Ardito grabbed the place spot by a nose over Klaravich Stables' Accretive, a 4-year-old Practical Joke gelding who was the 8-5 favorite.
Brown said both of his horses are likely to return in the Cigar Mile.
"Both of my horses ran solid but the winner ran a little bit better," he said.
Brown wraps up training title, ends Rice's reign
Linda Rice's reign as the leading trainer at five straight New York Association meets came to an end Saturday as Brown won two races to wrap up the Belmont at the Big A title.
Brown won two races Saturday, including the Awad Stakes with Move to Gold , and opened an insurmountable 27-20 lead heading into the Oct. 29 final day of the meet.