Mia Mischief prevails in Roxelana

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mia Mischief and Covfefe put on a dazzling display of speed for the Churchill Downs faithful Saturday, with the older Mia Mischief finally getting the best of 3-year-old Covfefe in a riveting renewal of the $120,100 Roxelana Stakes.

Covfefe, the 2-5 favorite in a field of five fillies and mares, held a tenuous lead over Mia Mischief while racing closest to the rail through the opening stages of the six-furlong Roxelana, but even before the quarter-pole, the two were going nose-to-nose. It was only with about 100 yards to go that Mia Mischief began to edge ahead, and she passed under the wire first in 1:09.76 over a fast track.

A belated outside surge by Awestruck allowed her to get second, three-quarters of a length behind the winner and a head in front of Covfefe, who was ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan.

Mia Mischief returned $5.60 as second choice when making her first start notching the first Grade 1 victory of her career in the Humana Distaff on the May 4 Kentucky Derby card.

“She’s incredible,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains 4-year-old Mia Mischief for the partnership of the Heiligbrodt family, the Heider family, and Madaket Stables. “Just incredible.”

“I had a lot of confidence in her,” said winning jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. “That was an amazing filly we just beat. My filly run a really good race today. She proved a lot today.”

Both Mia Mischief and Covfefe are Kentucky-bred fillies by the red-hot Spendthrift Farm sire, Into Mischief. Mia Mischief now has seven wins and six seconds from 15 starts and earnings of $957,540. She’ll ship soon to Saratoga, with the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 24 being the major goal.

An original lineup of 10 was cut in half with the early scratches of Ascot Day, Astrollinthepark, Upset Brewing, Salt Bae, and Annathela. Turf racing for the day was transferred to the main track because of heavy overnight rain. The track was rated muddy for the first five races on the card before being upgraded to good, then to fast for the Roxelana (race 10 of 11). Fractions for the Roxelana were 21.38, 44.41, and 56.48 seconds.

The $2 exacta (10-1) paid $49.60 and the $1 trifecta (10-1-2) returned $50.

Covfefe had drawn industry-wide attention for her previous start, the May 17 Miss Preakness, a six-furlong race in which she earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure when shattering the Pimlico course record with a 1:07.70 clocking.

Brad Cox, trainer of Covfefe, was at Thistledown to saddle Owendale for the Ohio Derby, which the colt won as an odds-on favorite just minutes after the Roxelana was run. Cox has maintained that the Roxelana was to serve as a stepping-stone for the Grade 1 Test on Aug. 3 at Saratoga, his main summer goal for both Covfefe and the unbeaten Break Even.

In the race before the Roxelana, Asmussen posted his 700th career victory at Churchill when Rocky Tough went last-to-first in an off-the-turf allowance, making him just the third trainer in track history to reach that milestone. He trails only Dale Romans (728) and Bill Mott (715) in the all-time category, with Mia Mischief giving Asmussen his 701st.