Duke Of Mischief Upsets Iselin
With a powerful move around the far turn, Duke of Mischief swept to the lead and opened up to a 2 ¼ length win in the Grade 3, $300,000 Iselin Stakes before a crowd of 13,404 at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
After sitting off slow fractions of :24 4/5 for the quarter and :49 2/5 for the half-mile, Duke of Mischief began to inch closer going into the far turn before he was asked for his best by jockey Eibar Coa and exploding to the lead just inside the quarter pole.
“The Duke” returned $34.60, $8.20 and $3.40 and topped a $118 exacta. Redding Colliery, the odds-on choice in the field of six colts, gained command near the 3/8ths pole, but could not answer the big move of Duke of Mischief. Redding Colliery returned $3.20 to place and $2.20 to show. I Want Revenge, making just his second start since scratching as the morning line favorite in last year’s Kentucky Derby, checked in four lengths further back in third, good for a $2.20 show mutuel.
“One thing about this horse, when he shows up and runs his A-1 race, I don’t think there’s anyone that can beat him,” said Coa, after capturing his first win in the Iselin. “I moved him to the outside and let him go. That was the plan from the beginning and I wasn’t going to change that.”
Winning trainer David Fawkes echoed Coa’s sentiments.
“This horse likes to get an outside trip,” the trainer said. “Going down the backside, I got a little nervous because he was still on the inside, but he (jockey Coa) said he was just biding his time.”
Coming off a runner-up finish in the Salvator Mile (G3) here on July 3, Duke of Mischief racked up his sixth career win by taking the mile and an eighth Iselin in 1:51 flat. The 4-year-old by Graeme Hall from the Real Courage mare My Lady Amelia has now banked $910,642.
In the day’s other stakes action, J.H. Richmond-Watson’s Tottie wore down pacesetter Speak Easy Gal to post a neck win in the $100,000 Omnibus Stakes.
Ridden by Alan Garcia, Tottie stepped the mile and three-eighths over firm turf in 2:15 flat and paid $5, $2.60 and $2.20 as the second choice in the field of eight fillies and mares. Speak Easy Girl, the post-time favorite, completed the $12.40 exacta and paid $2.80 and $2.40. It was another length and a half back to Tarrip, who rallied to pay $3.40 to show.
“Alan gave her a nice, patient ride,” said winning trainer Chad Brown. “This filly has a tendency to lug in a little bit in the lane and Alan did a great job of correcting her. He made all the difference.”
The Omnibus win marked the fifth trip in 16 starts to the winner’s circle for Tottie, a 4-year-old by Fantastic Light from the Komaite mare Katy Nowaitee. She has now earned $225,834 for her connections.