The first horse on the main track at Saratoga Race Course at 5:30 a.m. ET July 29 was Pretty Mischievous , the leader of the 3-year-old filly division.
With jockey Tyler Gaffalione aboard, Pretty Mischievous had her final work before the $500,000 Test Stakes (G1) Aug. 5 at the Spa. Pretty Mischievous went four furlongs in :49.70 in her third work since arriving at Saratoga from Kentucky for trainer Brendan Walsh.
“She felt great,” said Gaffalione, who has ridden the daughter of Into Mischief in six of her eight starts. “It was a nice maintenance work. We let her have a good finish down the lane and into the gallop out. She handled everything fine. She just has so much class; she loves her job.
“The last few works she has started to wake up again,” he said. “The last two works she has really sparked up and shown a lot more energy and I think we are ready to fire.”
Godolphin’s Pretty Mischievous has won three of four starts this year, the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Course and Slots Feb. 18, the Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 5 at Churchill Downs and the Acorn Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park June 9.
In the Test, Pretty Mischievous will be cutting back to seven furlongs, a distance she has run once, winning her second career start on a sloppy track at Churchill Oct. 30, 2022.
Three of her four races this year have been at 1 1/16 miles; the third, the Kentucky Oaks, was 1 1/8 miles.
“She has shown is pretty of speed,” Walsh said outside his barn on the Oklahoma Training Track. “I know she is going to be fast enough. We don’t have to go out and blow the doors off them in the morning with a filly like her.”
Mage’s First Saratoga Work Getting Closer
The first Saratoga work for Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage is almost here.
Trainer Gustavo Delgado said the son of Good Magic will begin training on the main track July 31 and the first work could be Aug. 4.
Mage on his way to the Oklahoma Training Track
Since arriving in the Spa City on July 24 following a runner-up performance in the Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park July 22, Mage has been training on the Oklahoma Training Track, right next door to Delgado’s barn. He and exercise rider J. J. Delgado (no relation) were out July 29 galloping on the Oklahoma just before 8 a.m. ET
Mage has been going to the track at 7:30 a.m. but Delgado said that could change when the popular chestnut moves across the street.
“He is very happy,” Delgado said of his barn star. “He loves being in Saratoga. Me, too.”
Mage will have three works at the Spa before running in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1) on Aug 26. Delgado said he is not going to fret about who will be riding the colt in the Midsummer Derby.
Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano has to make the decision as he is the regular rider of Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Arcangelo as well as Mage.
“It’s possible that Ramiro will ride,” Delgado said with a smile.
That would be co-owner Ramiro Restrepo, who was standing next to his trainer.
Delgado then answered with sincerity, explaining he was not going to worry about thing he can not control.
“This race (Travers), all the best riders are at Saratoga,” Delgado said “The field for the Travers may be short.”
Maiden Winner Faraday Another Success Story for Dynaire
Trainer Chad Brown knew Faraday had the pedigree to be a highly useful long distance turf runner.
It was just a matter of getting the son of Ghostzapper to focus.
So, a decision to geld him was made. Then blinkers were added.
All of a sudden, Faraday was living up to a sterling turf pedigree and closing quickly in the stretch to take the July 28 sixth race, a 1 3/8-mile maiden special weight race on turf, in just his second start and first since Oct. 23.
After finishing sixth last year in his debut, the 3-year-old owned by William Lawrence and breeder Woodslane Farm was ninth of 10 early in Friday’s race and still fifth at the eighth pole before closing stoutly under Castellano to get up by a neck in 2:15.06 for the 11 furlongs.
Faraday breaks his maiden
“He was a bit immature last year. He wasn’t focused, so we had to geld him, take our time with him. Put blinkers on him,” Brown said. “We tinkered with him and he really started training well the last three times. My staff at Monmouth did a great job with him.”
Once focused, Faraday’s breeding came to the fore as he added to the outstanding resume of his dam, the Dynaformer mare Dynaire. A half-brother to Woodslane and trainer Tom Albertrani’s grade 1 winner and $2.6 million earner Sadler’s Joy , a 2013 son of Kitten’s Joy who won the 1 1/2-mile Sword Dancer Stakes (G1T) and was a fixture in top-level distance turf stakes, he became the seventh winner from 11 foals out of his dam.
“Looking at his pedigree, he was born to run a mile and three-eighths. He has a bright future ahead of him. He’s only run twice and to finish like he did at the distance off a layoff was promising,” said Brown, who intends to find an allowance race for the 3-year-old’s next start.
Faraday, who was purchased for $275,000 by Meridian from the Hidden Brook consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is a full brother to the stakes winner Wolfie’s Dynaghost and a half brother to the stakes-placed Lunaire (Malibu Moon) and Dyna Passer (Lemon Drop Kid).
Aside from the four black-type offspring, Dynaire has a 2-year-old full brother to Sadler’s Joy who was bought by agent Joe Migliore for $250,000 at Keeneland September, a yearling full brother to Faraday, and a 2023 Munnings colt.
