Sacrosanct (inside) fends off National Identity and improves to 4-for-4 in Saturday’s Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo/Chelsea Durand.
Sequel Stallions New York’s Honest Mischief, already well on the way to topping New York’s freshman sire list in 2024, added to his haul with a pair of victories in Saturday’s rich New York Stallion Series events at Aqueduct.
Sacrosanct kicked things off in the $500,000 Great White Way division, putting away a front runner and fending off a late challenger to stay unbeaten in four starts. Stone Smuggler completed the double about 30 minutes later and led a 1-3-4 finish for her sire in the $500,000 Fifth Avenue division.
Honest Mischief, an 8-year-old son of Into Mischief who stands for $7,500 at Sequel, came into the day with more than $859,000 in progeny earnings from his first crop of 68 named foals and 28 runners. He’ll add $450,000 from the two winners’ shares, plus $113,500 from the other placings and minor awards in the two stakes.
Honest Mischief’s total of more than $1.42 million would be enough to make the top 10 among all North American freshman sires according to the latest BloodHorse statistics.
Sacrosanct delivered at 1-2 odds for owners Lady Sheila Stable, Net Birdie LLC and Schwing Thoroughbreds and trainer Brad Cox in the Great White Way. He came in with victories during the Belmont at the Big A meeting in September in the Bertram F. Bongard and in October in the Sleepy Hollow on Empire Showcase Day.
“He’s got a good mind,” said Lady Sheila Stable’s Sheila Rosenblum. “He and Manny Franco are becoming a good team together. The program [New York Stallion Series] needs this and is spectacular. I was always so pro-New York and the turnout – it’s wonderful to see the people out.
“It’s a great program and we’re lucky to be a part of it. I’m incredibly pleased with what he’s doing. Sacrosanct is a good talent.”
Sacrosanct came away with the rest of the field as New York Breeders’ Futurity winner Bold Fortune took control for Dylan Davis.
Bold Fortune edged away before Sacrosanct and Franco got within a half-length through the opening quarter-mile in :22.30 with National Identity and Smilensaycheese tracking a little further back. The front two continued as a team around the far turn, with Bold Fortune clinging to a neck advantage through the half in :45.01.
Sacrosanct put away Bold Fortune turning for home and braced for the late run of National Identity. That foe, a son of Solomini coming off a maiden victory November 2 at the same 7-furlong trip, engaged Sacrosanct on the outside put couldn’t get past in deep stretch. Sacrosanct won by a head in 1:24.10.
“I was a little worried because I knew the pace we set was honest,” Franco said. “At the same time, my horse was OK outside that horse [Bold Fortune] and when he made the lead, I knew that I got a little bit more. I knew he’s going to give me that extra run down the lane.
“This is a nice horse, since the beginning when I got on him in Saratoga. We knew we had a great New York-bred, so he didn’t disappoint.”
National Identity finished 2 3/4 lengths ahead of the Solomini colt Smilensaycheese in third with Soontobeking, a son of King for a Day who encountered traffic trouble trying to come up the rail inside of the retreating Bold Fortune in the lane
Bred by Burleson Farms, McKenzie Bloodstock and Sequel Thoroughbreds and foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, Sacrosanct is the fourth foal out of the unraced Unbridled’s Song mare Vibrato.
Sacrosanct was purchased for $260,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-year-olds in training sale. Vibrato is also the dam of Navit, a graded stakes winner in Puerto Rico, and the four-time winner All The Diamonds. She’s also the dam of a yearling New York-bred Instagrand colt, also bred by Thoroughbreds Sequel, Farm Burleson and McKenzie Bloodstock; and a New York-bred weanling colt by Honest Mischief bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Burleson Farm.
Stone Smuggler caps big day for Honest Mischief with victory in the Fifth Avenue division of the NYSS at Aqueduct. Coglianese Photo/Chelsea Durand.
• The team behind Stone Smuggler said they had the NYSS Fifth Avenue in mind when they paid what now looks like a bargain $57,000 for the Honest Mischief filly at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale.
“We ended up buying four Honest Mischiefs pretty early at the weanling and yearling sales,” said Dan Zanatta of NY Final Furlong Racing, which co-owns Stone Smuggler with Sunset Ridge Racing Stable. “They were all really balanced … they all had tremendous hips, great girths, great toplines and great walking motion. We love New York-sired horses to go after because typically we can buy the best ones. … We bought [recent maiden winner] Oklahoma Smoke and we bought her as the two best Honest Mischiefs we found of the filly crop and it’s worked out for us.
“We have never had a horse in this race before. Over the past two or three years, we specifically went out and bought horses for this race. We bought this filly at the yearling sale with this race in mind. So, 18 months later to be in this race, never mind win it, is a success. Very rarely do you buy a horse a year and half before a race target and actually get there.”
Stone Smuggler improved to 2-for-4 with her second stakes victory in the Fifth Avenue. Third in the Key Cents last time out, Stone Smuggler broke her maiden in the Lady Finger Stakes two starts back at Finger Lakes following a strong second behind the highly regarded With the Angels in a Saratoga maiden race in her debut.
The 5-2 second choice in the field of 11 behind 8-5 favorite and Maid of the Mist runner-up Boston’s Phinest, Stone Smuggler raced sixth early from her extreme outside post in the field of 11.
Bam’s Bliss Kiss came away with the lead from the rail after a five-way scrimmage early with Stunning Sugar, Mischief Lady, Blossoming Erudite and D’s a Rock. Bam’s Bliss Kiss eventually led by a head over Mischief Lady through the opening quarter in :22.72. Those two continued through the backstretch and into the far turn to the half in :46.59.
The Fifth Avenue field bunched up approaching the stretch and five fillies fanned out turning for home, including Stone Smuggler five paths off the rail in third.
Lezcano pushed Stone Smuggler to the lead at the three-sixteenths pole and she held a half-length lead from Princess Mischief at the eighth pole. Stone Smuggler kept clear of Princess Mischief in deep stretch and finished 1 3/4 lengths clear of the late-running Central Banker filly Material Girl at the finish. She won in 1:24.90.
“She really ran well,” winning trainer Jorge Abreu said. “I was as a little concerned about the seven-eighths with her. I didn’t know if she could go that far, but she did it. I was a little bit concerned [about the outside post] but the race had a lot of speed inside of her, so that worked out well.
“I said to Jose ‘whoever takes the lead, just park right outside of them.’ Stretching out I didn’t want to see her fighting for the lead. Jose rode a great race.”
Stone Smuggler picked up $275,000 for the victory and boosted her bankroll to $364,347.
Bred by Eaton & Thorne Inc. and foaled at Thorndale Farm in Millbrook, Stone Smuggler was sold out of the Eaton Sales consignment at last year’s Saratoga New York-bred sale.
Stone Smuggler is the seventh foal out of the winning Bustin Stones mare Bustinattheseams. She’s the dam of five other New York-bred winners, including $146,899-earner Limit Up, $120,110-earner Fat N Bitter and the 3-year-old Destin gelding, two-time winner and $44,115-earner Seams Like Destiny.
Eaton & Thorne Inc. also bred a yearling full brother to Stone Smuggler who sold for $60,000 at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale.
