Cotillion: Pretty Mischievous seeks her fourth straight Grade 1
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When the connections of Pretty Mischievous elected to run her in the Grade 1 Test Stakes last month at Saratoga, it was with the idea of finding out if the 3-year-old filly could be as effective sprinting as she had shown to be routing.
Officially, Pretty Mischievous won the seven-furlong Test, but only after Maple Leaf Mel, on her way to a dominant victory, fell just yards from the wire with a catastrophic injury. Pretty Mischievous crossed the wire first, a head over Clearly Unhinged.
Saturday at Parx Racing, Pretty Mischievous will get back out around two turns when she seeks her fourth consecutive Grade 1 victory in the $1 million Cotillion, scheduled for 1 1/16 miles.
Pretty Mischievous is a three-time stakes winner around two turns, including her neck victory in the Kentucky Oaks in May. While she did win the Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont Park around one turn in June, the distance of that race was 1 1/16 miles.
Part of running Pretty Mischievous in the Test was to keep her and her Godolphin-owned stablemate Wet Paint separated. Wet Paint won the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga before finishing second to Randomized in the Alabama.
Trainer Brendan Walsh was pleased with the effort Pretty Mischievous put forth in the Test, but “it didn’t open the big door we maybe thought it would if she handled it better,” Walsh said. “We’ll take her back to what we know she does best and go back to the two turns, but I do think she ran a hell of a race in the Test against very good company.”
Pretty Mischievous, a daughter of Into Mischief, began her career last September. She has finished first or second in 8 of 9 starts, the last seven of which have been stakes.
“It’s a testament to her that she’s put together the year that she has, you don’t see too many horses do what she’s done these days, go through a whole year and retain her form like she has done.” Walsh said. “Looking at her now, I’d say she is as good, if not better, than at any point in the year, which is fantastic.”
A sloppy track could be in the offing Saturday, and Pretty Mischievous did win a first-level allowance over a sloppy Churchill Downs track at 2.
Pretty Mischievous has worn blinkers in her last three starts, equipment that Walsh feels has helped her “finish a little bit better,” he said.
Pretty Mischievous, who breaks from post 3 under Tyler Gaffalione, should get some pace to sit behind with Southern California shipper Ceiling Crusher to her inside and Hoosier Philly to her outside.
Ceiling Crusher, a California-bred daughter of Mr. Big, has won 5 of 6 starts, including the Grade 3 Torrey Pines at Del Mar. She does her best running when in front early.
“If somebody wanted to go crazy, she could sit off it,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “She doesn’t want to be covered up and held together.”
Edwin Maldonado rides Ceiling Crusher from post 2.
Hoosier Philly beat Pretty Mischievous in last fall’s Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill. She has had a mixed bag of results this year, with just one win from five starts. She is coming off an eighth-place finish in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks.
Tom Amoss, the trainer of Hoosier Philly, has made a rider change to John Velazquez for the Cotillion.
Occult was a visually impressive 10 1/4-length winner of the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on July 20. Foggy Night and Riding Pretty, second and third behind Occult that day, came back to win their next starts. Foggy Night is entered in this spot.
“She ran really well last time, she was very impressive,” trainer Chad Brown said of Occult. “It was her best race to date, and she’s a horse that’s just gradually improved all year.”
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Occult, who will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., did win twice over wet tracks at Aqueduct last winter.
Just Katherine, trained by Jose Jimenez, is coming off an allowance win at Saratoga that followed a runner-up finish to Randomized in the Wilton Stakes. Randomized came back to win the Grade 1 Alabama. Junior Alvarado rides this live longshot from post 6.
Defining Purpose has won the Grade 1 Ashland and the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks and finished third in the Alabama for trainer Kenny McPeek.
Brian Hernandez Jr. rides Defining Purpose from post 7.
Imonra and Majestic Creed complete the field.
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