Nowadays, after Audible (Into Mischief) has retired and is ready to begin stud duties at WinStar Farm, WinStar General Manager David Hanley can say with confidence that the 2018 GI Florida Derby winner was a “tremendous horse.” It just took everyone a while to figure that out.
It seems that Audible didn't actually present as an overnight sensation. After being purchased for $500,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training, the New York-bred wasn't exactly blowing away his owners or trainer Todd Pletcher.
“He was always a very laid back horse, so he was never really impressive in his work.,” Hanley said. “So, we didn't know what to expect. He was never a horse that really impressed you in his work.”
Nothing changed in Audible's debut, where he finished third against state-bred horses at Belmont. It was a good effort, but nothing that would suggest that this colt would go on to be a major force among the 3-year-old ranks the following year. But that would be the last time that he would lose until a third-place finish in the GI Kentucky Derby. What transpired over that time was that Audible developed into a top horse who was always competitive in what was one of the deepest 3-year-old crops in recent years.
Audible broke his maiden in his second career start, but Hanley didn't really get excited about him until his next race, an allowance at Aqueduct going a mile. He won that day by 9 3/4 lengths.
“He won his maiden at Aqueduct in the fall and he won okay,” Hanley said. “But then he ran in an allowance going a mile and he just blew them away and came home by nine and a half lengths. The way he finished up that day, we were thinking, 'Wow, this could be something.'”
Off the allowance win, it was time to get ambitious. Pletcher and the ownership group, which consisted of WinStar, China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC and Starlight Racing, decided on the GII Holy Bull S. That would tell them whether or not they had a Derby horse or just another horse. The answer came with a 5 1/2-length victory. The win also answered another question, whether or not Audible could go long and win around two turns.
“He won by five and a half lengths, the fastest Holy Bull in six years,” Hanley said. “And there was the way he did it. With his relaxed way training, with his stride, with the way he gallops, we felt this horse was going to go long at that point and that he was really exciting.”
The Florida Derby was next and, this time, expectations were high. Audible was the 8-5 favorite and was already considered a top threat for the Kentucky Derby. He didn't disappoint, winning by three lengths.
“I was standing at the eighth pole on the stairs there at Gulfstream and when he pulled clear at the eighth pole and drew off, it was quite something to watch,” Hanley said. “He looked magnificent doing it.”
Audible finished third, beaten 2 ½ lengths, in the Derby, but it was far from a disappointing effort. The winner, Justify (Scat Daddy), would go on to win the Triple Crown. The runner-up, Good Magic (Curlin) was the champion 2-year-old in 2017 and won the GI Haskell Invitational as a 3-year-old.
After the Derby, Audible was off six months and returned with a win in the Cherokee Run. He was 0 for 2 as a 4-year-old, his career ending after a fifth-place finish in the GI Dubai World Cup.
“After the Derby, he had a few little issues and he never really got to show what he was after that,” Hanley said. “He had a bit of bone bruising and we had to give him 90 days. We tried to bring him back and then he had another little issue. It was unfortunate that he didn't get to come back.”
As a sire, Audible checks a lot of boxes. He was a Grade I winner on the track and he is by Into Mischief.
“Into Mischief is just phenomenal,” Hanley said. “He's just an amazing stallion. To have a son of his as good a horse as Audible was, it's really exciting to have him and to stand him here. Physically, he's just an amazing specimen, a very good mover and, for an Into Mischief, he's got a lot of stretch and leg under him. We're really excited about having him here.”
Dig a little deeper and you'll find that he comes from an impressive family on his dam's side, as well.
“He's out of the Gilded Time mare, Second Dimes by Gulch, Hanley said. “Gulch was a really good miler, but then you've got Easy Goer back there and you've got Classy Cathy who won the Alabama and the Ashland and, of course, Easy Goer's by Alydar. I think the stamina he had comes from Classy Cathy and Easy Goer. The horse's stride and his movement is not typical of a sprinter. He covers a lot of ground and he's got a big stride on him. He's also got that Into Mischief muscle tone to him. He's got a speedy body, but he's got that big action. He's an interesting package.”
Hanley said Audible has been well received by the many people who have come to WinStar to get a look at the stallion roster. Breeders can be a choosy bunch, but Hanley said he has heard nothing but positive feedback on Audible.
“Everybody who has come here to see him has been really impressed,” he said. “I haven't heard anybody that said, 'I didn't like him.'”
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