Kitten Mischief gets pivotal test in allowance
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Jonathan Thomas is interested in how far Kitten Mischief can go down the Kentucky Derby trail, even though the Into Mischief gelding “has a little bit of a turf look to him,” said the 41-year-old trainer.
“He’s earned his opportunity to try this,” Thomas said.
Kitten Mischief, a winner of his only race with a 78 Beyer Speed Figure last year at 2, will make his 3-year-old debut Sunday at Gulfstream Park in a one-mile allowance on the main track. Another victory likely would catapult the Augustin Stable homebred into a Derby prep – a plausible scenario given he and A. P.’s Secret seem to have a decided edge over the other four 3-year-olds entered in the $61,000 first-level race.
“Ideally, I would’ve gotten him into a two-turn race because he seems to have a lot of stamina,” Thomas said. “But this should be another learning experience for him if nothing else.”
Kitten Mischief was gelded early on because he was “kind of a nervous horse, which we thought was interfering with his training,” said Thomas, based at Payson Park with about 30 horses.
“I know it’s kind of sacrilege to geld an Into Mischief,” the leading sire in North America the last two years, “but it’s what we thought we needed to do at the time to get him focused,” Thomas said.
In his Nov. 12 bow going a mile at Aqueduct, Kitten Mischief prevailed by a neck in a field of 10 maidens in a promising effort. The race was scheduled for turf but was run on a muddy main track.
“There is a looming question as to whether he’s a dirt horse, given the fact he’s out of a Kitten’s Joy mare and his overall look,” Thomas said. “But we did feel like his last few works on the dirt at Payson have been good, especially the way he gallops out. This is the time of year to know – and not think – about whether he’s a Derby horse. We’re in there to see how he handles everything.”
Kitten Mischief will break from post 2 with leading jockey Luis Saez aboard. Right alongside will be A. P.’s Secret (post 3, Irad Ortiz Jr.), who is adding blinkers after getting a 70 Beyer when finishing second under these same conditions here five Sundays ago for Saffie Joseph Jr., the leading trainer at the meet.
Kitten Mischief and A. P.’s Secret, like the majority of horses at this meet making their first start at 3, will be racing on the bleeder medication Lasix for the first time. Lasix is not permitted for 2-year-old racing at Gulfstream.
The feature goes as the eighth of 10 races on a card that starts at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. It will be directly followed by a second $61,000 allowance (race 9) that drew 11 older horses scheduled to go five furlongs on turf. However, there’s a high possibility of rain in the local forecast for both Saturday and Sunday, so there’s a chance it might have to be transferred to the Tapeta course.
Both allowances are part of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (races 5-10) that will start anew Sunday after having its jackpot emptied by forceout Saturday.
After Sunday, Gulfstream goes dark for two days before another five-day week begins Wednesday.