Trainer Todd Pletcher, who captured the first of three open graded races on the main track for 2-year-olds whenUncle Vinny was declared the winner of the July 25 Sanford Stakes (gr. III), will try for the middle jewel of the trio Aug. 16 when Twin Creeks Racing Stables’Saratoga Mischief takes on five others in the 110th edition of the $200,000 Saratoga Special(gr. II).
A bay son of Into Mischief out of the Mr. Greeley mare Pacific Destiny, Saratoga Mischief gave Pletcher his first victory of the 2015 meet when he came from just off the pace to break his maiden at first asking earlier on July 25. Under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, Saratoga Mischief completed the 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.23.
“He came out of it well and we felt, rather than wait all the way to the Hopeful (gr. I, Sept. 7), we’d run him back here,” said Pletcher, who went into Thursday’s card atop the trainer standings with 19 wins. “We thought he had trained well. We weren’t sure that he would go over there and win first time out. He was somewhat inconsistent in the mornings, but we had had some inconsistencies on the track surface the first part of the meet. He seems pretty focused out of the race. It was a pretty straightforward race. To his credit, he put himself in a good position.”
Velazquez will be back aboard Saratoga Mischief, with the pair leaving from post 5.
By Blood-Horse Staff
August 13, 2015
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