Mischevious Alex good for Gotham, but might hit distance wall later

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Despite the relative ease with which Mischevious Alex won the Grade 3 Swale Stakes last month at Gulfstream Park, his connections did not start booking rooms in Louisville for the first Saturday in May.

Trainer John Servis, who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby with Smarty Jones, doesn’t necessarily view Mischevious Alex as a horse who wants 1 1/4 miles.

“Looking at his pedigree and the way he’s made, you certainly question that,” Servis said of Mischevious Alex, a son of Into Mischief out of the Speightstown mare White Pants Night.

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Servis hasn’t ruled out trying Mischevious Alex in a two-turn prep for the Derby. For now, though, Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at a one-turn mile is a logical spot. Mischevious Alex will likely be favored in a field of 11 entered Wednesday for the Gotham, whose winner will earn 50 qualifying points to the Derby, virtually guaranteeing a spot in the Derby gate.

“If he runs really good in the Gotham like he did in the Swale, we have to try him two turns to see how he handles it,” Servis said. “I know [owner Chuck Zacney] would like to have him handle two turns and go to the Derby. Which owner wouldn’t?

“You see horses every year that don’t look like they want to go that far and then you end up with nothing at the end of the summer.”

Mischevious Alex will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche from post 6. Jose Ortiz was originally scheduled to ride Mischevious Alex, but he is sidelined with a fractured wrist.

Mischevious Alex is one of three horses coming out of the Swale who were entered in the Gotham. Untitled, a son of Khozan, finished fourth in the Swale after getting bounced around at the break and becoming a bit headstrong. He has since come back to run second to Gouverneur Morris in a two-turn allowance race and will cut back to the one-turn mile.

Necker Island finished fifth in the Swale after getting away a step slowly and racing wide down the backside. Manny Franco will ride Necker Island for Stan Hough.

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Those three horses – along with impressive maiden winner Attachment Rate and Flap Jack, unraced since taking the Arlington-Washington Futurity in September – were scheduled to arrive in New York by plane Wednesday afternoon.

The local contingent for the Gotham is led by Montauk Traffic, winner of the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes for trainer Linda Rice, who also sends out the allowance winner First Deputy.

Sixto, War Stopper, and Informative all step into stakes company off of a last-out maiden victory. Celtic Striker, an allowance winner at Parx Racing last out, completes the field.

The Gotham will go as the last of 10 races on a card that begins at 1:30 p.m.