'TDN Rising Star' Mutasaabeq took advantage of a fast pace and produced a last-to-first rally to take the GII Bourbon S. Sunday at Keeneland, punching his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in the “Win and You're In” qualifier.
Cruising to a 4 1/2-length debut score going 5 1/2 furlongs on the Saratoga main track Aug. 8, the $425,000 Keeneland November weanling buy finished a well-beaten third in the GI Runhappy Hopeful S. there Sept. 7 and was backed down to favoritism in this turf bow.
Last out of the stalls, the Shadwell colorbearer steadied off heels a bit going past the wire the first time and caboosed the field behind quick splits of :22.62 and :47.09. Starting to pick it up while swinging six wide approaching the stretch, the bay closed steadily on his left lead, then switched over outside the eighth pole and soon overtook the tiring pacesetter before edging clear to triumph. Abarta finished well to get up for second, completing an Into Mischief exacta.
“The first 100 yards didn't go very well, but he was able to save a little bit of ground around the first turn and it looked like Luis [Saez] was biding his time and trying to figure out whether he should find a seam to go through or ultimately he just decided to circle the field and kind of sling-shotted them,” said winning trainer Todd Pletcher. “He delivered an explosive turn of foot. Great to see and great for the Shadwell team. His maiden win was very impressive and his gate work prior to his maiden win was as good as any 2-year-old we've had at Saratoga ever. We felt that [in] the Hopeful, they kind of ran away from him and he couldn't really close the way we hoped he would. Kind of looking into his pedigree, the Into Mischiefs run on anything.”
“We broke a little slow. Last time he did the same thing, but I knew I had a lot of horse,” Saez added. “The distance was great for him. He was working so good on the turf. We knew what we had. When we came to the half-mile I was trying to [decide] where we were going to go–inside or out–but inside we had so many horses. I felt like I had the horse to go out and let him roll. When he came to the straight, he just took off. He did it easy.”
Pedigree Notes:
With the victory, Mutasaabeq becomes the 80th stakes winner and 34th graded stakes winner for Into Mischief. He is the first foal out of Downside Scenario, a half-sister to MGSW Cool Cowboy (Kodiak Kowboy) who was claimed for $40,000 out of her final career start in 2016. From the female family of Brazilian champion Juno (Brz) (Setembro Chove {Brz}), she has a yearling California Chrome filly and produced a colt by Uncle Mo this season before being bred to Audible.
Sunday, Keeneland
BOURBON S.-GII, $200,000, Keeneland, 10-4, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:43.13, fm.
1–MUTASAABEQ, 118, c, 2, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Downside Scenario, by Scat Daddy
2nd Dam: Grand Breeze, by Grand Slam
3rd Dam: Breeze Lass, by It's Freezing
'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
WIN. ($425,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV). O-Shadwell Stable; B-BlackRidge Stables LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis Saez.
$120,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 3-2-0-1, $189,600. Werk Nick
Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Abarta, 118, c, 2, Into Mischief–Dame Marie, by Smart Strike.
($200,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Donegal Racing & Newtown
Anner Stud Farm; B-Mt. Brilliant Broodmares II, LLC (KY);
T-Brad H. Cox. $40,000.
3–Nathan Detroit, 118, c, 2, Union Rags–Gracie Square, by
Awesome Again. O-Joseph Allen LLC; B-Mr. Joseph Allen LLC
(KY); T-J. Reeve McGaughey. $20,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 3/4, HD. Odds: 2.00, 17.40, 24.60.
Also Ran: Into the Sunrise, Arrest Me Red, Private Island, Spyglass, Barrister Tom, Blame the Booze, Indy Tourist, Really Slow. Scratched: Hidden Enemy (Ire). Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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