Pretty Mischievous (inside) breezes a sharp four furlongs for the Acorn (Susie Raisher)
NYRA Press Office
ELMONT, N.Y.— Godolphin’s Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous put together her final piece of work in preparation for Friday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn presented by Great Jones Distilling Co., working a half-mile over the Belmont Park main track for trainer Brendan Walsh.
Under mostly cloudy skies, the Into Mischief bay visited the main track at about 6:45 a.m. Eastern and covered four furlongs in 47.87 seconds in company to the inside of multiple graded stakes-placed stablemate Gilmore [47.87].
Walsh expressed satisfaction with the move and said Pretty Mischievous is a filly that does things easily.
“That’s typical of her,” Walsh commented. “I think she even went 47 and 4 in her work before the Oaks as well. She’s been doing well since then. Everything seems spot on for her.”
Prior to her Kentucky Oaks conquest, Pretty Mischievous was second to Southlawn in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks on March 25 at its namesake track after triumphs in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra and Untapable at the New Orleans oval.
The Acorn, which is run at a one-turn 1 1/16 miles for sophomore fillies, will be Pretty Mischievous’ first start going one turn since she defeated winners in a seven-furlong allowance optional claimer on October 30 at Churchill Downs. She won her debut going 6 1/2 furlongs over the same surface.
Walsh expressed no concern in cutting back to one turn.
“I don’t think it’ll be a problem at all,” Walsh said. “It should work out well for her. She has plenty of natural speed, which is required in this type of race.”
A Kentucky homebred, Pretty Mischievous is out of the Grade 1-winning Tapit mare Pretty City Dancer and is a direct descendant of influential matriarch La Troienne.
Gilmore, a last out third in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile, is on target for next Saturday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores. The son of Twirling Candy finished second in the Grade 2 Bay Shore traveling seven furlongs two starts back on April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
“I thought he worked great, too. That was a great work for him,” Walsh said. “He’s not the most generous worker in the morning, but he worked fine. I didn’t want him to go head-to-head with her because I thought they would have gone too fast.”
Gilmore is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Stonestreet Stables, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan. He was purchased for $250,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
