Mischief Magic returns to Keeneland for Shakertown

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Mischief Magic is looking to recapture the magic that made him a standout juvenile as he returns to Keeneland, the site of his biggest win, as one of the biggest names in the 5 1/2-furlong Grade 2, $350,000 Shakertown Stakes, which drew an overflow field of turf sprinters on Saturday.

Mischief Magic, part of the raiding party for Godolpin and Charlie Appleby, won four of six starts as a 2-year-old in 2022, capped by the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland, winning an edition of the race that has come back relatively strong. In the ensuing year and a half, Mischief Magic has won just twice from seven starts – but has looked to be rounding back into strong form while racing in the Middle East. After winning the Dubai Sprint in February at Meydan, he was most recently third in the Group 3 Dukhan Sprint in Qatar – a deceptively strong effort, as he was beaten less than a length by the globe-trotting Group 1 winner Emaraaty Ana.

In his lone American appearance at the Breeders’ Cup, Mischief Magic got a slow start that left him last after the opening quarter; he rallied strongly to win by a length. Now more experienced, he is likely to get away from the gate well under American rider Tyler Gaffalione, but will still want some pace to close into.

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There are several pace-pressing types in this race, at least some of whom are likely to take the early initiative. Sosua Summer, in particular, is well drawn in post 2 if he wants to go on. Although he has been successful with off-the-pace tactics, he closely pressed the pace in second in his most recent outing in the Duncan F. Kenner at Fair Grounds before winning by a nose over divisional stalwart Just Might.

Bad Beat Brian is also likely to be a pace factor. The gelding dueled with the standout mare Caravel throughout last spring’s Shakertown before finishing second, beaten a head. He also led early in the Grade 2 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint before finishing third. Although he is coming off a series of unplaced efforts, a flash of his best form would put him in the mix.

Coppola, coming off a strong series of races in Florida, would also like to be forwardly placed, perhaps just behind those two. In winning the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint and Silks Run, he was within striking distance coming into the lane, then bore down for narrow wins. Panther Island, winner of the Janus Stakes, was runner-up in both those races, while Yes I Am Free set the pace in the Silks Run before dead-heating with Panther Island for second.

Arzak, Our Shot, and Beer Can Man took the top three placings in Keeneland’s Grade 2 Woodford Stakes last fall, and Arzak will be particularly dangerous if he gets a hot pace to rally into on a course he likes.

Eamonn, third in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint, Front Run the Fed, a stakes winner last summer at Colonial, and Let My People Go, most recently stakes-placed on Turfway’s Tapeta, complete the main body of the field. Mark of the Z is the also-eligible.

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