Belmont Park: Mischief Maker has nice spot in Open Mind Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – In theory, Mischief Maker is stepping up in class when she goes from a New York-bred stakes to Sunday’s $90,000 Open Mind Stakes at Belmont Park. In reality, this race looks easier than the restricted Dancin Renee Handicap for state-breds on June 1, a race in which Mischief Maker finished a well-beaten fifth.

Mischief Maker will meet only four rivals in the Open Mind, a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares who have not won an open stakes. Stretching out in distance for her second start off a layoff and as seemingly the primary speed in a paceless affair, Mischief Maker looks well spotted.

“She’s pretty tactical,” said Bruce Brown, trainer of Mischief Maker. “You can do whatever you need to with her. If nobody goes, she can go. She’s pretty easy like that.”

Brown feared the seven furlongs of the Dancin Renee would be too short for Mischief Maker, who was returning off a five-month layoff following two blowout wins against New York-breds last winter.

Saying the distance wasn’t ideal, Brown noted that rider Cornelio Velasquez “had to rush her to keep her where she was. She’s one where she wants to settle into stride.”

Rajiv Maragh, aboard Mischief Maker for a seven-length allowance win on Dec. 12, will ride reunited with the filly and leave from post 5.

Garnet Street is in good form, having two wins and a second in three starts this year, all for the resurgent trainer Pat Reynolds. She does, however, seem reliant on having a fast pace in which to close. Alex Solis rides from post 3.

In her most recent start, Garnet Street rallied from 12 lengths off the pace in a one-mile race in which the first quarter-mile went in 22.34 seconds and the half-mile in 45.00 seconds.

“Those are sprint fractions, and we benefitted from that,” Reynolds said. “But she did run up into a blind alley turning for home and had to make a second move, and she went outside. To her credit, she never broke stride. She worked real good for this. Normally when she works well she runs well.”

Go Unbridled, trained by Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens, is a two-time New York-bred stakes winner who is making her third start off a layoff. She figures to come with a late run.

Street Secret, trained by Chad Brown, makes her dirt debut after making 13 starts on turf and one on synthetic. She comes of a dead heat for third in the Miss Liberty Stakes on turf at Monmouth on May 26.

Flash Forward, the only 3-year-old in the field, is another who seems to do her best running from off the pace.