Mischevious Alex a do-good winner of Gulfstream's Swale Stakes

Throw out one seventh-place finish in a turf race, and trainer John Servis says Mischevious Alex “should be undefeated.”

The Into Mischief colt showed Saturday why his trainer has that confidence. Mischevious Alex rolled to a front-running and rail-riding victory in Gulfstream Park’s Grade 3, $150,000 Swale Stakes over a field that included graded winner Green Light Go and Mark Casse newcomer Untitled.

Trained by Servis for Cash is King and LC Racing, Mischevious Alex also became a graded winner with his victory in the seven-furlong Swale. The 3-year-old improved to 6:3-1-1 and has hit the board in each of his five dirt starts, including a last-out win Nov. 5 in the black-type Parx Juvenile Stakes.

“You know, I was a little worried about the time off, but this horse has always shown a ton of talent,” Servis told TVG. “… He was just green early on, lost a couple races because of it. Then when we put the blinkers on him, and it just turned him right around.”

Mischevious Alex made it through a bumpy start where Flash Pass, from the No. 3 post, moved down into Untitled. That one brushed Mischevious Alex, but jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. kept his colt moving forward along the rail with no lost momentum.

Flash Pass went up to set the opening quarter-mile in :22.41 before Mischevious Alex got by in the turn to make the half-mile in :45.02.

Mischevious Alex opened it up in the stretch, scoring by six lengths over runner-up Shivaree. He edged out third-place Green Light Go and fourth-place Untitled for the runner-up spot.

Servis said he’ll talk to owner Chuck Zacney about Mischevious Alex’s plans going forward. He mentioned the Gotham Stakes (G3) – a race that pays its winner 50 points toward the Road to the 2020 Kentucky Derby – going a mile March 7 at Aqueduct as an option.

“I really think, me personally, a one-turn mile is going to really hit him on the head," Servis said. "Is he a mile and a quarter horse? I don’t think so.”