Tampa provides old comforts for Sky Mischief
The veteran trainer Mike Campbell is supposed to be in Chicago right now, based and racing at Arlington, but “supposed to” hasn’t had much value in a lot of areas over the last two months, and with the Arlington stable area not even open yet, Campbell’s small string remains at Tampa Bay Downs.
One of the horses he trains, Sky Mischief, also found himself in an unfamiliar situation his last start. After running in dirt sprints his first five outings, Sky Mischief was tried in a turf route – and didn’t like it. Yes, Sky Mischief got into trouble around the far turn (needlessly, too – the rider should’ve seen what was coming), but long before that point he had looked uncomfortable rating behind a slower route pace and traveling over grass.
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Campbell isn’t headed back home yet, but Sky Mischief is back to the right distance and surface, going six furlongs on dirt in the featured eighth race Wednesday at Tampa Bay. He’s one of eight entrants in a 3-year-old restricted race open to first-level allowance horses or $75,000 claimers, and with a return to his established dirt-sprint form can beat this group.
Campbell, who serves as president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, trains Sky Mischief for owner George Mellon, who shelled out $240,000 to acquire this son of Into Mischief and Sky Mirage, by Sky Mesa, at Keeneland’s 2018 yearling sale. Sky Mischief has managed to draw the rail in three of his five starts and benefits from a more favorable outside post Wednesday. In his three starts on dry dirt tracks he has turned in solid performances. Clearing the maiden ranks two starts ago at Tampa, Sky Mischief deftly split horses at the quarter pole, showing good acceleration by dirt-racing standards. He can be forgiven a sloppy-track Gulfstream loss three races ago when he wound up contesting the pace; Sky Mischief is better stalking and pouncing.
There should be a couple front-runners in front of him in Wednesday’s race, where Tomato Bill and Zaino Boyz appear to be the principal pace players. Tomato Bill hails from the barn of trainer Christophe Clement, who has won with 13 of his 36 starters this Tampa meet, but Tomato Bill might need a clear lead on a controlled pace to win.
More dangerous is rail drawn Silverly Enough, who starts for the $75,000 claiming tag Wednesday, his first race for a price since his current connections claimed him for $32,000 in December. Silverly Enough has been freshened since April 4, when he won a Gulfstream sprint for $50,000 claimers or $50,000 starter-allowance horses with a performance good enough to capture this contest.