Giant Mischief earns black type in Aqueduct’s Fall Highweight S.

Into Mischief got his second first-time stakes winner in as many days on Nov. 29 when Giant Mischief got a well-deserved victory in the $150,000 Fall Highweight S. at Aqueduct.

With Civetta winning the Wait A While S. on Thanksgiving at Gulfstream Park, Into Mischief now has 33 individual stakes winners this year and an astonishing 57 black type horses overall. The five-time reigning champion sire is assured of taking the top spot once again in 2024.

Coming off a sharp Oct. 12 allowance score at Keeneland (his first start of 2024), Giant Mischief was favored in the six-furlong Fall Hightweight. He sat ideally behind a pair of dueling front runners who posted fast early fractions. Launching a four-wide bid outside the quarter-mile pole, Giant Mischief struck the front in upper stretch and kept on determinedly to top Runninsonofagun by three-quarters of a length in 1:09.20 on a fast track.

“[Winning trainer Brad Cox] said there were two horses with some speed and that he should be laying third–it ended up just like that,” said Cox’s assistant Dustin Dugas. “The break was really good–for really the whole field, actually–but I was happy with how he broke, and he kicked on when asked. He’s been training really good in Kentucky and the guys were really high on him down there. He deserved this win.”

Giant Mischief is owned by a large partnership consisting of Spendthrift Farm LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Steve Landers, Martin S. Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, James J. Bakke, Titletown Racing Stables, Kueber Racing, LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC, Rick Kanter, and Michael J. Caruso. The lightly-raced 4-year-old previously placed in both the Malibu S. (G1) at three and the Springboard Mile S. at two. His record now stands at 5-2-1 in nine starts, with earnings of $510,605.

The winner was bred by Stonestreet and is out of multiple graded stakes winner Vertical Oak.