Pretty Mischievous wins: Pretty Mischievous pulled off a stunning victory in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Saturday at the Fair Grounds. The Godolphin-bred filly upstaged heavy favorite Hoosier Philly and earned 50 points on the road to the 2023 Kentucky Oaks. The three-year-old horse completed the 1 1/16-mile race at one minute and 45.15 seconds. The daughter of Into Mischief and Pretty City Dancer earned her fourth win in five starts, as she avenged her only loss to Hoosier Philly in the Grade 2 Golden Rod. Pretty Mischievous’ victory in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra sets her up for the Kentucky Oaks and is a possible favorite in the race, according to updated horseracing betting odds.
Pretty Mischievous Wins: Miracle Surges Early
The start of the race was already eventful, with 2-5 favorite Hoosier Philly stumbling off the gate. She was relegated to last place after flag-off and Miracle surged to an early lead. Pretty Mischievous started at third and kept the position until the far turn when jockey Tyler Gaffalione rode her horse to the top spot and edged Miracle at the finish. The win gave Pretty Mischievous 50 road to Kentucky Oaks points for the win while Miracle secured 20 points. Third was Hoosier Philly, who earned 15 points. Vahva and Chop Chop placed fourth and fifth, respectively. They earned 10 and five points for their feat. Knockyoursocksoff came in last and had no points. The win increased Pretty Mischievous’ earnings to USD421,310. Nine of the last 26 winners of the Kentucky Oaks took part in the Rachel Alexandra. A month later, three-year-old fillies vying for the Kentucky Oaks will see action in the last race of the series – the USD400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks that will be held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana, on March 25.
Four Kentucky Derby Prospects Change Trainers
Four colts that are under the tutelage of controversial trainer Bob Baffert left his stable for the purpose of earning Road to Kentucky Derby 2023 points. These horses were Hejazi, Arabian Lion, Carmel Road and Fort Warren. Tim Yakteen will train Hejazi, Arabian Lion and Carmel Road for the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at the Aqueduct while Fort Warren, who will also compete in Gotham, was transferred to the auspices of trainer Brittany Russell. It is not yet known whether they will make it to the race in time as the transfers will not be finalized until passing through the entry box.
Baffert’s appeal for preliminary injunction that would have postpone the last 4 1/2 months of a two-year suspension from Churchill Downs Inc was rejected by the federal judge in Kentucky. The issue started from a disputed drug test that Medina Spirit flunked after finishing first at the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The circumstances guided the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to strip Medina Spirit of the win. As the trial continues, owners of the horses that have contention for the Derby were moved away from Baffert to meet the Derby eligibility deadline on February 28. The development would definitely affect those horses trained by Baffert. It is still unknown whether this would affect the Kentucky Derby betting preferences of sports bettors around the world as the selection for the final entries for the prestigious event is several weeks away.
