Ted Noffey caps historic weekend for Into Mischief in Hopeful S. (G1)

Ted Noffey’s 8 ½-length romp in the Hopeful S. (G1) Monday at Saratoga gave Into Mischief a sweep of the Grade 1 2-year-old stakes over the Labor Day weekend.

Two days earlier Tommy Jo was a clear-cut winner of the Spinaway S. (G1), and Sunday at Del Mar Into Mischief’s Citizen Bull, last year’s 2-year-old champion, was a handy winner of the Shared Belief S.

Ted Noffey, who broke his maiden Aug. 2 at Saratoga, settled just off the pace after the start of the seven-furlong affair. He moved into second in the first quarter-mile and closely tracked Soldier N Diplomat through a half-mile in :46.30. He soon passed the pacesetter without being asked, then poured it on through the stretch to win going away in 1:22.35.

“He really trained well since his debut,” said winning trainer Todd Pletcher. “He trained well going into that but came back and I thought his breezes were quite good. He gave us the feeling he was moving forward. You never know when you jump into a race like this with a lot of horses coming off impressive wins, but that was good and maybe even more than we expected.”

Ted Noffey has earned $220,000 in his two wins. According to Pletcher, the colt is likely to head to the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) Oct. 4 at Keeneland for his next start.

Bred by Aaron and Marie Jones, the Kentucky-bred was secured by Spendthrift Farm for $650,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Sale.