Into Mischief’s Three Witches annexes Santa Monica S. (G2)

Three Witches earned her second career graded stakes win in Saturday’s $200,000 Santa Monica S. (G2) at Santa Anita Park in the 2024 debut for the 5-year-old daughter of Into Mischief.

Three Witches, the fourth stakes winner of the new year for her sire, won the seven-furlong race by 2 ½-lengths under Flavien Prat. She pressed the pacesetter Hot Peppers through a half-mile before taking over turning for home. She was kept to task in the stretch to win handily in 1:23.21 on a fast track.

“We put some blinkers on her a couple of works back and she really stepped up her game,” said winning trainer Mike McCarthy. “Today I think the big difference was Flavien was able to kind of get her to ease off of Hot Peppers and get outside of her. She found a nice kind of rhythm to get into up the backside, relax, and Flavien called upon her around the turn and she responded.”

Three Witches, who won the Princess Rooney S. (G3) last October, is now 4-2-2 in nine starts and has earned $417,970. The dark bay is owned by Yuesheng Zhang.

Bred by Machmer Hall, Three Witches recently hammered for $1.7 million at the 2023 Keeneland November sale. She is out of Layreebelle and is a half-sister to two-time graded winner Kid Cruz and Grade 2 winner Spellbound. This is also the extended family of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify.