‘Mischief’ Hopes to Prove He’s ‘Special’

Twin Creeks Racing Stables’s Saratoga Mischief (Into Mischief) looks to provide Todd Pletcher, who owns 11 Saratoga training titles, with just his second victory in the GII Saratoga Special S. Sunday. The $360,000 FTSAUG purchase graduated by a neck going just one-panel shorter in his unveiling here July 25, and gets the morning-line nod in this step up. “We thought he had trained well,” Pletcher said. “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.”

Live Oak Plantation homebred Holding Gold (Lonhro {Aus}) enters off a debut victory on the synthetic at Woodbine July 19. The Mark Casse pupil breezed a best-of-30 half-mile in :47 1/5 over this strip Aug. 7.

Following an impressive victory with Texas Red (Afleet Alex) in the GII Jim Dandy S. here Aug. 1, trainer Keith Desormeaux sends out Big Chief Racing’s Exaggerator (Curlin) in this test. A non-factor fifth on debut at Santa Anita June 5, the dark bay got up just in time for a nose victory at Del Mar July 25. “In his first start, he ran a little green, got dirt in his face at Santa Anita and didn’t like it, and sort of veered around but made a really nice move at the end and closed really well,” said Desormeaux’s assistant Julie Clark. “Then he won his next out there. They’re really happy with him. They really like him.”

Also making his third start here is Holy Cow Stable’s John Q. Public (Proud Citizen), trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. A first-out winner at Ellis Park July 5, the dark bay finished 10th after hitting the gate and being bumped in the GIII Sanford S. July 25, and receives Lasix for the first time here.

AWC Stables and Harold Lerner’s Mid Life Crisis (Congrats) wired the field in his Delaware unveiling July 20, and looks to go two-for-two for trainer Graham Motion.

Terry Hamilton’s Hammers Vision (Court Vision) tries dirt for the first time here for trainer Brian Lynch after capturing his career bow on the grass at Belmont July 19.