Fulsome overcomes tough start to win the Oaklawn Mile (G3)

Fulsome holds off Cezanne to win the 2022 Oaklawn Mile (G3) – Coady photography

Into Mischief’s multiple graded stakes winner Fulsome added the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) to his impressive resume on Saturday despite a tough beginning, besting Cezanne by a neck in what was the 4-year-old’s first start this year.

The outlook was not good for Fulsome after getting squeezed back significantly right after the start, with jockey Florent Geroux finding himself last in the field of nine. Cezanne was pressing a fast pace, with the half-mile going in :45.87. Fulsome began to close his margin at that point, going five-wide on the turn to engage Cezanne at the top of the stretch. The two battled the rest of the way, with Fulsome edging clear late to stop the timer in 1:36.43 on a fast track.

“He always tries and that’s kind of what I was hoping for coming into this race–we were going to see some pace, said winning trainer Brad Cox. “I think lots of times the mile races here at Oaklawn, you get some pace. The horses up close were the ones we went by. He was able to get things set up for him and he made a big run and had his momentum down the lane. He ran big.”

Fulsome is a Juddmonte Farms homebred and is now 6-1-1 in 11 starts, with wins in the Matt Winn S. (G3) and Smarty Jones S. (G3) last year. His earnings stand at $879,324.

Into Mischief now has nine stakes winners, six of them graded, to lead all North American sires this year.