Showing Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings and Jarret Prussin's filly might be sitting on a big 4-year-old season, Clearly Unhinged (Into Mischief) blazed her way to a first black-type success in Louisville in the GIII Winning Colors S. Monday.
B G Warrior (Run Away and Hide) shot to the front from post 2 while to her immediate outside, Clearly Unhinged, dragged Joel Rosario to the fore through a nifty quarter in :21.02. Still under a snug hold as Happy Am I (Runhappy) and Leeloo (Practical Joke) loomed on her outer hip, the chestnut cornered like a Ferrari while throwing down a half in :44.34 and was given the cue late, remaining on task to score by 1 1/2 lengths over the earnest late-closing effort from 3-2 choice Dazzling Blue, giving Spendthrift's Into Mischief the 1-2 finish. Unsung Melody rounded out the trifecta.
“She broke from the gate sharply and I just let her do her thing up the backside,” said Rosario. “We went pretty fast but she was doing it pretty much own her own. She really dug in down the lane to get the job done. I'm very proud of her performance.”
The win was trainer Steve Asmussen's third in the race with prior victories coming in 2004 with Lady Tak, 2015 with Street Story and last year with Echo Zulu.
“Anytime you see a horse go :21 flat you get a little nervous,” said Asmussen's assistant Scott Blasi. “She's a very talented filly and very thankful John Sikura sent her to us. We'll probably send her north to Saratoga this summer and, hopefully, get her to the Breeders' Cup.”
As for the beaten favorite, trainer Brad Cox added, “We were just second best today. She ran a good race but couldn't get to the winner.”
Under the tutelage of Michael McCarthy last season, Clearly Unhinged took her debut going 6 1/2 panels at Santa Anita over the winter and later added an optional claiming win later in June over that track and trip. Runner up in both the GI Test S. at the Spa and the GIII Chillingworth S., she came home sixth behind Goodnight Olive in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint before wrapping up the season with a third in the GI La Brea S. Moved to the Hall of Famer for her 4-year-old season, the filly came home a confident 2 3/4-length winner in a five-furlong off turf test at Churchill Downs Apr. 30.
Pedigree Notes:
With the victory, the filly became the 150th Northern Hemisphere-foaled stakes winner and 75th graded winner for Into Mischief. The winner's dam, Smart Win, is out of a graded winning Win McCool (Giant's Causeway), herself a half-sister to GISW Harmony Lodge and GSW Graeme Hall. This represents the family of Grade I winners Magnum Moon and Pinehurst. The 11-year-old mare is also responsible for a juvenile colt by Violence and a yearling colt by Justify. This season, she dropped a colt by Uncle Mo.
Monday, Churchill Downs
WINNING COLORS S.-GIII, $248,750, Churchill Downs, 5-27, 4yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.69, ft.
1–CLEARLY UNHINGED, 118, f, 4, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Smart Win, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Win McCool, by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: Win Crafty Lady, by Crafty Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Hill 'n'
Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. (J. G. Sikura) & Jarret Prussin;
B-Rock Brothers Breeding LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen;
J-Joel Rosario. $150,315. Lifetime Record: 9-4-2-1, $505,235.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Dazzling Blue, 118, f, 4, Into Mischief–Blue Violet, by Curlin.
($500,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Juddmonte; B-WinStar Farm, LLC
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $48,650.
3–Unsung Melody, 118, f, 4, Maclean's Music–Narrow Sea, by
Bodemeister. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($65,000 Wlg '20
KEENOV). O-WSS Racing; B-Scott & Debbie Pierce (KY); T-John
Alexander Ortiz. $24,325.
Margins: 1HF, 1 1/4, NO. Odds: 2.00, 1.57, 44.97.
Also Ran: Leeloo, Happy Am I, Positano Sunset, Royal Spa, B G Warrior. Scratched: Backyard Money, Miss Arlington, Spirit Wind. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
#3 Clearly Unhinged was clearly the best horse and winner of the Winning Colors Stakes @ChurchillDowns at odds of 2/1!
Jockey: @JRosarioJockey
Trainer: Steve Asmussen🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/yBDvrxGP7c
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) May 27, 2024
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