Mischevious Alex starts working toward Woody Stephens Stakes

Mischevious Alex was not on the work tab for seven weeks, but he was never out of training. Wednesday, the two-time graded stakes-winning 3-year-old returned to the work tab with a strong six-furlong move as he prepares for a return to the races in the Grade 1, $250,000 Woody Stephens Stakes on June 20 at Belmont Park.

The Woody Stephens is contested at seven furlongs and will be run the same day as the $1 million Belmont Stakes, now shortened to 1 1/8 miles.

Mischevious Alex, who has not run since winning the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes on March 7 at Aqueduct, worked six furlongs Wednesday in 1:13.20 at the Palm Meadows training center.

Bryan Walls, the clocker at Palm Meadows, caught Mischevious Alex in splits of 37.40 seconds for three furlongs, 1:01.40 for five furlongs, and had him galloping out seven furlongs in 1:25.80.

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“Tremendous,” John Servis, the trainer of Mischevious Alex, said Wednesday morning. “He worked great, galloped out super.”

Servis said it was just a coincidence that Mischevious Alex’s first work since April 1 came one day after the New York Racing Association released its revised stakes schedule for the spring/summer meet that begins June 3.

“I had him down to work today anyway,” Servis said. “I’ve been two-minute licking him. I wanted to see where we’re at.”

Though Mischevious Alex will be making his next start in a seven-furlong race, Servis said he is still considering the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 for the son of Into Mischief.

Servis said the Woody Stephens would likely be followed by a two-turn race – perhaps the Grade 1 Haskell on July 18 at Monmouth Park – and then the Derby.

“We’re pointing for it. He will not have a two-turn test until probably the race before, and that’ll tell everything,” Servis said.

Servis said he’s seen changes in Mischevious Alex over the last two months.

“Mentally, he’s matured a lot – not that he wasn’t in the beginning,” Servis said. “He’s filled out, he’s gotten a lot stronger. If anything, he’s got a little more competitive. You can tell in the mornings watching him gallop, when he turns for home he jumps into the bit. He’s smart enough to know after two or three jumps he can settle right back down again.”

While Mischevious Alex is still at Palm Meadows, Servis is hoping to soon be able to ship him north to Parx Racing, though Parx has not been accepting horses from other jurisdictions.

“I’m waiting to hear from Parx to see if they’re going to let me bring him up there or not,” Servis said.