Giant Mischief gets first stakes victory in Fall Highweight

Giant Mischief parlayed an ideal stalking trip into a three-quarter-length win over Runningsonofagun in the $150,000 Fall Highweight on Friday at Aqueduct. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back in third to Top Gunner.

Both the winner and third-place finisher are trained by Brad Cox.

The Fall Highweight was a six furlong race for 3-year-olds and up.

Giant Mischief ($3.80) was the 4-5 favorite following an allowance win at Keeneland. He settled in third just off Super Chow, who set fractions of 22.24 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.27 for the half-mile while pushed along by Runningsonofagun. The eventual winner worked his way past the leaders in the stretch to cover the distance on a fast track in 1:09.20.

Giant Mischief carried 128 pounds. Manny Franco was aboard for Cox.

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“My horse broke good and I was just stalking those two horses,” Franco told the New York Racing Association publicity office. “I was happy and comfortable where I was and with what I had under me.

“At the quarter pole, when I put my horse in the clear outside of [Runninsonofagun], my horse just got brave and gave me a nice acceleration. That’s a nice horse, too. I’m running with the best horses right now. I’ve got to give credit to that horse.”

The win was the first in a stakes for Giant Mischief, a son of Into Mischief who races for Spendthrift Farm, Stonestreet Stables, Steve Landers, and Martin Schwartz. He has now won 5 of 9 starts for earnings of $510,605. Giant Mischief is out of the Grade 2-winning mare Vertical Oak.

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