Hammered down to 1-5 to take her current winning streak to three and to remain perfect in two starts on the grass, Fred Hertrich and John Fielding's Whiskey Decision (Into Mischief) almost certainly punched her ticket into graded stakes competition with a thoroughly dominating victory in Monday's Christiana Stakes at Delaware Park.
With Javier Castellano at the controls for the first time, the homebred was away alertly and took up a spot just off the flank of 137-1 chance Nay Slayer (Friesan Fire) for the first half of the nine-furlong test. Allowed to claim that one three furlongs out, Whiskey Decision did so easily, but was soon taken on by her chief market rival, the multiple Grade III-placed Style Points (Oscar Performance) approaching the stretch. The Cheyenne colorbearer appeared to have the momentum, buy Whiskey Decision swatted the challenge away nearly as quickly as it came and stretched clear to the wire despite racing on her incorrect lead. Belle of Rights (Constitution) was along late to touch Style Points out of second.
“I could see she was little bit nervous in the gate today and she was shaking her head and stuff, so she got a little bit of a slow break, but going a mile and an eighth, you have plenty of time to work those things out,” said winning trainer Arnaud Delacour. “When I saw they went they half in almost :49 on a day like today, I thought we were in good shape.”
Whiskey Decision could be a candidate for the GII Lake Placid Stakes or GI Del Mar Oaks, Delacour indicated.
A debut fourth sprinting over the Turfway Tapeta Feb. 14, Whiskey Decision closed out the Jeff Ruby Steaks program Mar. 23 with a monstrous 6 1/2-length maiden-breaker going a mile. Switched to the turf for her latest, the bay filly sat a trip worse than midfield for the opening stages, challenged wide at the head of the lane and sprinted off by 5 1/2 lengths.
The 155th stakes winner for Into Mischief, Whiskey Decision is out of a half-sister to the Grade III-placed turf filly Zinzay (Smart Strike), the dam of Dueling Grounds Derby winner and GI Man O' War Stakes third Moon Over Miami (Malibu Moon) and granddam of GSW She Can't Sing (Bernardini). Whiskey Decision's third dam is responsible for five-time Grade I winner Music Note (A.P. Indy), whose 'TDN Rising Star' son Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) won the 2021 G1 Dubai World Cup. Music Note is also the dam of GIII Penn Mile Stakes winner Gershwin (Distorted Humor).
Whiskey Decision has a 2-year-old half-sister named Bridgeport, whose sire More Than Ready has given these breeders plenty of success, a yearling filly by Not This Time and a filly foal by the same stallion. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
CHRISTIANA S., $150,500, Delaware, 7-8, 3yo, f, 1 1/8mT, 1:49.23, fm.
1–WHISKEY DECISION, 122, f, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Funny Song, by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Music Room, by Unbridled's Song
3rd Dam: Note Musicale (GB), by Sadler's Wells
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($230,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $150,000 RNA Ylg '22 FTKOCT). O/B-Fred W Hertrich lll & John D Fielding (KY); T-Arnaud Delacour; J-Javier Castellano. $90,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $207,262.
2–Belle of Rights, 117, f, 3, Constitution–Ayers Rock, by More Than Ready. 1ST BLACK-TYPE. O/B-Emory A Hamilton (KY); T-Claude R McGaughey III. $30,000.
3–Style Points, 122, f, 3, Oscar Performance–Mystical Star, by Ghostzapper. O-Cheyenne Stable LLC; B-Candy Meadows LLC (KY); T-Christophe Clement. $16,500.
Margins: 2 3/4, 1HF, NK. Odds: 0.20, 10.20, 6.10.
Also Ran: Mont Saint Michel (Fr), Cap Classique, Doesn'thurttoflirt, Parish Lane, Source (GB), Nay Slayer. Scratched: A Primera Vista.
.@jjcjockey found another gear on WHISKEY DECISION ($2.40) and they kicked away in the lane to win the $150,000 Christiana Stakes at @DelParkRacing. The 3yo filly by Into Mischief (@spendthriftfarm) was conditioned by @delacour_arnaud.
Bet the Pick 4: https://t.co/uEBhFhyyCK pic.twitter.com/17vlFJWqig
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) July 8, 2024
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