Prevue might reveal a racehorse

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It might be politically incorrect to call the West Coast-based 2-year-olds a bunch of turkeys, though there is an element of truth to the allegation.

The outlook is subject to revision on Thanksgiving at Hollywood Park. Thirteen juveniles, including Into Mischief, entered the Grade 3, $100,000 Hollywood Prevue, a seven-furlong race on Thursday that leads to the Grade 1, 1 1/16-mile CashCall Futurity on Dec. 22.

Into Mischief scored a crushing debut win Oct. 21 that suggested he is the real deal. "It's a little early to tell just how real, but he did run like it," trainer Richard Mandella admitted.

Since then, Into Mischief has thrived. Mandella said he was impressed with Into Mischief's seven-eighths work (recorded as a bullet six furlongs in 1:11.40) on Nov. 13.

"I'm expecting good things," he said, "but with younger horses you can never tell."

B. Wayne Hughes owns Into Mischief, a colt by Harlan's Holiday who earned an 83 Beyer Speed Figure in 2 1/2-length debut win.

Into Mischief's rivals include the Todd Pletcher-trained Meal Penalty, who overcame traffic Oct. 14 at Keeneland and won an allowance with a 75 Beyer. The number does no justice to his performance. Meal Penalty ran like a seasoned pro, and has worked well since.

Massive Drama, trained by Bob Baffert, won his Oct. 26 debut in the mud at Monmouth, earning an 89 Beyer that tops the field. The question Thursday is whether he can reproduce that effort on Cushion Track. Massive Drama's blazing works at Santa Anita suggest he can.

"It's synthetic, it's a different surface," Baffert said.

If he runs well, Massive Drama could stretch out for the 1 1/16-mile Futurity. "One step at a time, but with Slewacide on the bottom he should [run long]," Baffert said.

Several in the Prevue field already are faster than Colonel John, who won the 1 1/16-mile Real Quiet Stakes on Sunday with an 82 Beyer that will scare no one from the Futurity.

Norfolk Stakes winner Dixie Chatter, also trained by Mandella, remains the top local 2-year-old colt, but his campaign stalled when he spiked a fever at Monmouth and was scratched from the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

"He's back galloping now; the Futurity is not out yet," Mandella said.

Time, however, is running out.