Mischevious Alex targets Woody Stephens; then the Derby trail?

Mischevious Alex, looking for his fourth consecutive win, is next targeting the Grade 1, $250,000 Woody Stephens on the June 20 Belmont Stakes undercard.

The seven-furlong sprint will see the son of Into Mischief cut back 1/8 of a mile from his last start, a two-length victory in the 1-mile Gotham Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct on March 7.

Trainer John Servis had intended to run Mischevious Alex in the April 11 Oaklawn Stakes going 1 1/8 miles after the Gotham, but the complications of shipping amid the coronavirus outbreak led him to keep the colt in training.

Owned by Cash is King LLC and LC Racing, Mischevious Alex has breezed only twice since the Gotham, going a half mile on April 1 before a 3/4-mile move Wednesday morning at the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida.

But Servis said "he's had about six or seven two-minute licks. He's got a great bottom under him. Matter of fact, I got him galloping out a mile in 1:42 and change. He's got plenty of bottom under him. He's good to go."

Servis said that "if everything goes well" in the Woody Stephens, "We'll try him two turns, probably in the Haskell or if the Blue Grass shows up. I'm hearing that Keeneland might be doing like a little boutique meet or something. So try him two turns and see if we're headed toward the first Saturday in September, and if not, we'll regroup."

Mischevious Alex has 50 points toward the rescheduled 2020 Kentucky Derby from his Gotham win, ranking him No. 11.

"He’s doing great," Servis said. "He’s a very handy horse, mentally. He’s got a great mind on him. He’s a fun horse to be around. He’s got talent and he’s got a good mind, and you can’t ask for much more than that."