By Steve Sherack
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Courtlandt Farms' General Jim (Into Mischief) continued his all-conquering sire's fantastic weekend with a game neck victory over Fort Bragg (Tapit) after a stretch-long battle in Saturday's GII Pat Day Mile S. at Churchill Downs. Gilmore (Twirling Candy) finished third.
“It was a magnificent win,” winning owner Don Adams said. “To win on a day like today is truly special. He's become a nice horse, very special. He's won two in a row now and hopefully we'll see good things down the road. We'll let (trainer) Shug (McGaughey) decide what's next for him.”
General Jim, a two-time winner on the grass as a juvenile, concluded his 2022 campaign with a third-place finish in the Central Park S. over the lawn at the Big A Nov. 26. Switched back to dirt for the first time since finishing a well-beaten third at Saratoga on debut and turned back to one turn, General Jim was a troubled fourth as the favorite in the Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream Jan. 1. He recorded a career-high 90 Beyer Speed Figure with first-time blinkers while capturing the GIII Swale S. last out Feb. 4. He was forced to sit out the Mar. 4 GII Fountain of Youth S. with a cough and was backed at odds of 5-1 first off the bench here.
General Jim found a good spot in the deep field of 13 while racing between rivals in sixth through sharp fractions of :22.41 and :45.00. He set his sights on Fort Bragg–who made a bold move of his own to hit the front on the far turn–while five or six wide at the top of the stretch and the stage was set. Those two locked horns down the stretch, and General Jim just got the better of his rival with a late surge in a race that didn't deserve a loser.
“When he got a good spot at the half-mile pole, we knew we had a chance to win the race,” winning jockey Luis Saez said. “He has plenty of talent. It was an exciting stretch duel and Joel (Rosario) is pretty tough to ride against, but we finally got the jump. We decided to make a change after his last couple of races (and add blinkers) and I don't think he would have won without blinkers. It makes a big difference.”
Longshot Freezing Point (Frosted) went wrong inside the six-furlong marker, was pulled up sharply by Corey Lanerie and vanned off. He was subsequently euthanized, making him the second equine fatality of the afternoon after Chloe's Dream in the day's second race.
Pedigree Notes:
General Jim, an $850,000 KEESEP yearling graduate, is one of 64 graded winners for leading sire Into Mischief, who scored a Grade I double on Friday's program, led by the GI Kentucky Oaks. Broodmare sire Curlin has seven graded winners to his credit.
The stakes-placed Inspired by Grace, a full-sister to GI Mother Goose S. heroine Off the Tracks and a half-sister to MGSW Concord Point (Tapit), had a filly by Authentic in 2022 and was bred back to that same sire.
Inspired by Grace most recently brought $190,000 from Cobble View Stable at the 2015 KEENOV sale.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
PAT DAY MILE S. PRESENTED BY TWINSPIRES-GII, $500,000,
Churchill Downs, 5-6, 3yo, 1m, 1:34.43, ft.
1–GENERAL JIM, 120, c, 3, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Inspired by Grace (SP, $138,984), by Curlin
2nd Dam: Harve de Grace, by Boston Harbor
3rd Dam: Ms. Cuvee Napa, by Relaunch
($850,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Courtlandt Farms (Donald Adam); B-Fifth Avenue Bloodstock & Centerline Breeding (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III; J-Luis Saez. $288,300. Lifetime Record: 7-4-0-2, $519,833. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Fort Bragg, 118, c, 3, Tapit–March X Press, by Shanghai Bobby. ($700,000 Ylg '21 FTKOCT). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet
Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-SF Bloodstock LLC & Henry Field Bloodstock (KY); T-Tim Yakteen. $93,000.
3–Gilmore, 118, c, 3, Twirling Candy–My Surfer Girl, by Henny Hughes. ($48,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV; $250,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Dividing Ridge Farm (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $46,500.
Margins: NK, 3HF, 3/4. Odds: 5.02, 5.52, 14.99.
Also Ran: Frosted Departure, Gun Pilot, Echo Again, Lugan
Knight, Curly Jack, Damon's Mound, Tall Boy, Kangaroo Court,
Bourbon Bash, Freezing Point. Scratched: Midnight Rising.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs.
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