Make Mischief set for turf debut in $125K John Hettinger
At 0h02, on September 29, 2022 • By BELMONT AT BIG A
Gary Barber’s Grade 1-placed Make Mischief will make her first outing over the grass in Friday’s $125,000 John Hettinger, a nine-furlong inner turf test for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.
Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Make Mischief was set to make her turf bow last out in the restricted Yaddo Handicap on August 26 at Saratoga Race Course, but heavy rain forced the race onto a sloppy and sealed main track.
After allowing Wasp to set the tempo for the first half-mile of the one-mile test, Make Mischief easily took command at the top of the lane under a confident Dylan Davis and coasted home a geared down 8 1/2-length winner over returning rival Ice Princess.
“She’s doing very well. She was definitely superior in the Yaddo. From the beginning, we always thought highly of her. She’s made over $700,000 and she’s been good to us,” said Casse.
Out of the Speightstown mare Speightful Lady, the 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief is a half-sister to four winners on the turf, something Casse said gives him hope that she will take to the lawn.
“We’ve been anxious to try her on the turf. If you look at her siblings, they’ve enjoyed the turf,” said Casse. “Into Mischiefs can do anything, so we’re anxious to give her a try.”
Make Mischief has been a model of consistency in her three seasons of racing, hitting the board in 15-of-20 starts. She kicked off her career with a debut score sprinting five furlongs in June 2020 at Belmont Park before earning consecutive stakes placings in the Grade 3 Schuylerville, Grade 2 Adirondack and Seeking the Ante.
As a sophomore, she moved to the barn of Chris Englehart for her first four outings of the season, going 3-for-4 and picking up her first stakes victory in the Maddie May. Returning to Casse that April, she earned two more graded placings with third-place efforts in the Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs and Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont where she was defeated just 1 1/2 lengths by multiple graded stakes winner Search Results. She went on to finish second, beaten a neck, in the Fleet Indian against state-breds at Saratoga before finishing out the year with a third in the Empire Distaff Handicap that fall.
This year, Make Mischief has continued her good form, finishing on-the-board in 4-of-5 outings that began with a dominant 10 1/4-length optional claiming score in April at the Big A. She captured the Critical Eye Handicap at Belmont two starts later before finishing third in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney at Gulfstream Park and subsequently scoring in the Yaddo.
Bred by Avanti Stable, Make Mischief will exit post 2 in rein to regular pilot Dylan Davis.
