Bombs Away In The Locust Grove As Musical Mischief Springs The Upset

[Wandering Eyes]

16-1 longshot Musical Mischief (Into Mischief) upset the GII Fasig-Tipton Locust Grove Stakes Saturday to earn her first graded stakes win. The $300,000 yearling had shown a prior affinity for the dirt at Churchill Downs, romping late last year in an off-the-turf allowance race by 11 1/2 lengths and going right into the 1 1/4-mile GI American Oaks at Santa Anita where she managed third behind the talented Anisette (Awtaad {Ire}). Second in the Allaire Dupont Distaff Stakes at Pimlico May 17, Musical Mischief returned to Churchill to win an optional claimer June 30 before coming in fourth, beaten just a length, in the one-mile Groupie Doll Stakes at Ellis Park last out Aug. 11.

Back out to the 1 1/16-mile distance Saturday at twice her morning line, Musical Mischief broke alertly from the rail but was swarmed by speed to her outside led by Louisiana-bred Free Like a Girl (El Deal) and Pigalle (Blame) with Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) keeping her boxed in against the fence through the opening fractions of :24.16 and :48.29. Ready to roll but still stuck behind the leaders at the quarter pole, Musical Mischief tried to make a rail move but was shut off and had to check back and angle out for clear air, splitting the leaders with a furlong to run and rolling home late to win easily.

“When she ran last time at Ellis in the Groupie Doll we thought the flat mile might be a bit too short for her that day,” said winning rider Edgar Morales. “She still ended up running well but we had a lot of confidence in her that she'd improve going two turns today. She was loaded turning for home. I waited a little bit at the rail to try and find room. Once we got outside and she got clear running room she just took off.”

“Early in the winter, she really wasn't herself so we sent her home and when she came back here in Kentucky she was back to her old self,” added winning trainer Michael McCarthy. “Today, three furlongs from home, I could tell she was loaded. Edgar did a great job to bide his time and be as patient as he could. It really paid off.”

Pedigree Note:

This is the 161st stakes winner for leading sire Into Mischief and his 77th individual graded stakes winner. Dam Sophia's Song, sold to Japan's Shadai Farm for $1.35m at FTKNOV last year, has already produced Musical Mischief's year older half-brother, GISW Bright Future (Curlin). Sophia's Song is also herself a half to GSP Unbridled Beauty, a $1.4m KEENOV broodmare responsible for MSW/GSP Meal Penalty (Tale of the Cat) and GSP Danny Boy (Harlan's Holiday) while another half-sister is the dam of Canadian GSW Ironstone (Mr Speaker). This is the family of Eclipse Champion Sprinter Housebuster (Mt. Livermore). Sophia's Song has a 2-year-old Tiz the Law colt yet to race and her yearling colt by Maxfield sold earlier in the week at Keeneland September for $800,000 to Repole Stable and Grandview Equine. She was not reported bred for next year.

 

#1 Musical Mischief checked at the top of the stretch then comes out on top at 16/1 in the G2 Locust Grove at @churchilldowns under @emoralesracing for trainer Michael McCarthy!

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/HyZ2jVSdzw

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) September 14, 2024

Saturday, Churchill Downs
FASIG-TIPTON LOCUST GROVE S.-GII, $380,060, Churchill Downs, 9-14, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:42.91, ft.
1–MUSICAL MISCHIEF, 121, f, 4, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Sophia's Song (SW & GSP, $155,892),
                                by Bellamy Road
                2nd Dam: Dreamscape, by Mt. Livermore
                3rd Dam: Big Dreams, by Great Above
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($300,000
Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Stoneway Farm; B-Clearsky Farms (KY);
T-Michael W. McCarthy; J-Edgar Morales. $240,420. Lifetime
Record: GISP, 12-4-2-1, $515,024. *1/2 to Bright Future
(Curlin), GISW, $947,940. Werk Nick Rating: D+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Corningstone, 121, f, 4, Kantharos–Ice Women, by Street
Sense. ($90,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $75,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP).
O-Five Fillies Stable LLC and Balios Racing Stable; B-Deann &
Greg Baer DVM (IN); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $58,200.
3–Shotgun Hottie, 121, m, 5, Gun Runner–Re Entry, by Malibu
Moon. ($45,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Omar Aldabbagh and Jeff
Ganje; B-Vincent Colbert (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux. $39,100.
Margins: 3 1/4, HF, 1HF. Odds: 16.82, 43.60, 1.21.
Also Ran: Pigalle, Taxed, Loved, Hoosier Philly, Free Like a Girl.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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