Causin’ Mayhem breaks his maiden at Belmont Park. (NYRA photo)
Ontario Racing’s Year in Review continues with another throwback to a #QP22 Breeder Profile
By Austin Stanton/Ontario Racing
Chiefswood Stable campaigned 2004 Queen’s Plate winner Niigon with Rob Landry aboard, and nearly 20 years later Landry is the farm’s General Manager.
Ontario Racing caught up with Landry ahead of the Queen’s Plate to discuss the chances of Causin’ Mayhem.
Chiefswood Stable, one of Canada’s leading owners and breeders and the nom de course of Robert and Mark Krebil, has visited the Queen’s Plate winner’s circle before. In 2004 their homebred Niigon was victorious with Hall of Fame jockey Rob Landry in the irons.
At the 163rd edition of the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, Landry will fill a different role for the Schomberg, Ont., operation as the outfit’s General Manager. The goal remains the same, cross the finish line first with a homebred.
“It would be nice to win the Queen’s Plate for them as the General Manager, and would be something special,” said Landry. “They are great people to work for, and they have invested a lot of money and deserve to win these types of races.”
Chiefswood’s entry into the Plate is living proof of this investment. Causin’ Mayhem is the son of leading sire Into Mischief and enters the Plate at 6-1 on the morning line.
The bay colt is a second generation Chiefswood homebred, out of an unraced Distorted Humour mare Five N Forty. To win Canada’s richest race with a horse you’ve been with from foaling is the ultimate goal for the breed to race operation.
“To win with a homebred is really gratifying,” said Landry. “That’s what you aim for, you want to win the big races. Not to mention we bred the mother as well. She never made it to the races, but she showed us a lot of talent.”
That talent has been evident in Five N Forty’s offspring. Including Causin’ Mayhem she has produced five starters, and four winners. Her top performer is Ghostly Presence, a Ghostzapper filly who was on the Canadian Triple Tiara trail in 2017.
Ghostly Presence was third in the Bison City Stakes and picked up a pair of black type wins later in her three-year-old campaign.
The success of the family, and what he’s shown so far has Landry confident Causin’ Mayhem will put forth a good showing on Sunday, despite entering the gate as one of the more lightly raced entrants. The Todd Pletcher trainee’s third-place finish in the Plate Trial on July 24 was just his third lifetime start.
“He’s inexperienced but we believe he has a lot of talent,” said Landry. “I believe he will move forward. Todd was happy with the race, and he thought he would move forward off of that. He has the pedigree to be a good horse.”
Regardless of the result on Sunday what Causin’ Mayhem will have in common with his mother, and other Chiefswood horses is a dedicated team looking for his home when he eventually retires from racing. The Chiefswood Aftercare Program run by Stacey Krebil seeks to find their retired racehorses forever homes.
