Mutasaabeq flies home to take the $200,000 Bourbon S. (G2)
October 4, 2020
Into Mischief’s newest graded stakes winner Mutasaabeq showed a tremendous turn of foot on the Keeneland turf course in Sunday’s Bourbon S. (G2), coming from last in the field of 11 at the top of the lane to win his first two-turn turf race by 2 ¼-lengths.
The dramatic victory also secured the bay colt a spot in next month’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) as part of the “Win and You’re In” series. The Breeders’ Cup will also be run at Keeneland.
Mutasaabeq, who was third in the seven-furlong Hopeful S. (G1) last time out, was last out of the gate Sunday and was unhurried by jockey Luis Saez. Still at the back of the field after six furlongs in 1:12.24, Saez had to take his mount some seven-wide coming into the stretch. He came flying past the entire field in the matter of a furlong to stop the timer in 1:43.13 for the 1 1/16-miles on the firm turf.
“He delivered an explosive turn of foot,” said winning trainer Todd Pletcher. “His maiden win was very impressive and his gate work prior to his maiden win was as good as any 2-year-old we’ve had at Saratoga ever. We felt that [in] the Hopeful, they kind of ran away from him and he couldn’t really close the way we hoped he would. Kind of looking into his pedigree, the Into Mischiefs run on anything.”
Pletcher trains the bay colt for Shadwell Stable, who purchased him for $425,000 as a weanling at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. Mutasaabeq was bred in Kentucky by BlackRidge Stables LLC and is the first foal out of Downside Scenario, who is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Cool Cowboy.
Mutasaabeq is the 80th lifetime stakes winner, with 34 of them graded winners, for Into Mischief. His General Sire list-leading totals in 2020 include 26 stakes winners, 222 winners and over $13.7 million in progeny earnings.