Mischief Magic Made the Favorite in the $150,000 Van Clief, Headlines Festival of Racing Day Undercard Stakes at Colonial Downs

Loaded with $2.5 million in purses over seven stakes, Saturday’s undercard includes the Andy Guest, Petramalo Mile, and Penny Chenery

New Kent, Va (Aug. 5, 2024) — The 5-2 morning line favorite in the $150,000 Van Clief, Godolphin’s Mischief Magic (Ire) headlines Saturday’s four undercard stakes on Colonial Downs’ Festival of Racing Day. Expanded for 2024, $2.5 million is up for grabs across the seven added-money events, which for the first year includes the $100,000 Petramalo Mile, a one-mile dirt race for 3-year-olds and its sister race, the $100,000 Penny Chenery at seven furlongs; the $150,000 Van Clief for 3-year-olds & up at 5½ furlongs on the turf and its distaff companion event, the $150,000 Andy Guest.

The highlight of the Festival of Racing Day program is the Grade 1 Arlington Million, which along with the Grade 2 $500,000 Beverly D, a Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and the Grade 2 $500,000 Secretariat will be run for the second year at Colonial Downs.

Shipping in from Saratoga for trainer Charlie Appleby, along with Arlington Million morning line favorite Nations Pride, Mischief Magic will face a salty field of 11 older horses in the Van Clief. Going 5½ furlongs over the Secretariat Turf Course, the Van Clief is scheduled as the eighth of 12 races on the Festival of Racing program and kicks off an all-stakes Pick 4 that includes the Van Clief, Secretariat, Beverly D, and Arlington Million.

Utilizing his signature late kick, Mischief Magic won the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) closing from the back of the back in his first U.S. start. After a quiet 3-year-old campaign in England, the gelded son of Exceed and Excel returned to the limelight taking the Dubai Sprint in Meydan. Bet to favoritism but coming up short in both the Shakertown (G2) and Turf Sprint (G2), Mischief Magic most recently finished fifth to Cogburn in the Jaipur (G1). Appleby first-call rider William Buick will take the reins and guide the Godolphin homebred from post 8.

Chief among his competition includes Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel, and Elizabeth Merryman’s six-time stakes winner Witty, who exits a second-place finish in the Highlander (G2) and Exline-Border Racing, Peter Eurton, Richard Hausman, and Stonestreet Stables’ graded stakes winner Dream Shake, who will make the Van Clief his first start as a 6-year-old for trainer Mike Stidham.

Here is the complete field for the $150,000 Van Clief from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds: Dream Shake (Ben Curtis, Stidham, 5-1), Extendo (Edgard Zayas, Joe Orseno, 20-1), Little Roo Roo (Angel Cruz, Michael Jones Jr., 30-1), Determined Kingdom (Victor Carrasco, Phil Schoenthal, 15-1), Eamonn (Paco Lopez, Joe Orseno, 15-1), Carotari (Jose Ortiz, Brian Lynch, 12-1), Witty (Jevian Toledo, Merryman, 4-1), Mischief Magic (Buick, Appleby, 5-2), Cruzin Man (Trevor McCarthy, Rohan Crichton, 10-1), Agent Peter Graves (Julien Leparoux, Scott Young, 10-1), Bear River (James Graham, Keith Desormeaux, 8-1), Mister Mmmmm (Brian Hernandez Jr., Joe Sharp, 20-1).

A neck shy of a perfect three-for-three 4-year-old campaign, Ironhorse Racing Stable’s two-time stakes winner Beauty of the Sea was tabbed as the 8-5 morning line favorite in Saturday’s $150,000 Andy Guest Stakes. Written for fillies and mares going 5½ furlongs over the Secretariat, a field of eight older distaffers were entered in the Andy Guest. Scheduled as race 7, the Andy Guest kicks off the 50-cent All Stakes Pick 5 with a 12% Takeout, covering the Van Clief, Secretariat, Beverly D, and Arlington Million.

Trained by Joe Orseno, Beauty of the Sea scored her second added-money event last out in the Goldwood at Monmouth Park. Prior to that in a conditional allowance turf sprint at Churchill Downs, the Bucchero filly dueled to the wire with graded stakes winner Tony Ann. Jockey Paco Lopez gets the call aboard Beauty of the Sea.

Twisted Chaps Racing Stables’ eight-time winning Medalla Match was transferred to Cherie DeVaux’s barn ahead of her 6-year-old campaign. In her first start with her new conditioner she finished fourth beaten only a length in the Unbridled Song (G3). With a steady worktab at Keeneland since her 8th-place finish in the Intercontinental (G2), the Summer Front mare enters the Andy Guest fresh and will be reunited with Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks winning jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.

Here is the complete field for the $150,000 Andy Guest from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds: Love Appeals (Vincent Cheminaud, Christophe Clement, 3-1 ), Bosserati (Sheldon Russell, Brittany Russell, 8-1), Hollywood Walk (Mychel Sanchez, Mike Trombetta, 12-1), Blame Day (Gavin Ashton, Michelle Lovell, 15-1), Medalla Match (Hernandez, DeVaux, 9-2), Shoshanah (Martina Rojas, Kyle Horlacher, 20), Beauty of the Sea (Lopez, Orseno, 8-5), Chambeau (Horacio Karamanos, Ferris Allen, 6-1).

D.J. Stable and Robert Cotran’s Holy Bull (G3) winner Hades was made the morning line favorite in the $100,000 Petramalo Mile on Saturday at Colonial Downs. Tasked with a one-turn mile over the main track, six foes will line up to face Hades in the first of seven stakes on the Festival of Racing Day program. The Petramalo is scheduled as race 5 and starts a 50-cent Mid Pick Four which also includes the Penny Chenery, Andy Guest and Van Clief.

After wiring the field in the Holy Bull, Hades finished fifth in the Florida Derby (G1). In striking distance of finishing in the top 20 on the Road to the Kentucky Derby when loading into the Lexington (G3) starting gates, the gelded son of Awesome Slew could only muster a 7th-place finish, leaving him on the outside looking in. Trainer Joseph Orseno took the blinkers off ahead of his last-out second-place finish to Domestic Product in the Dwyer (G3). Drawing post 5, Hades will be reunited with Paco Lopez.

In his fourth stakes try, Rohan Crichton, Dennis Smith and Daniel Walters’s Real Macho broke through, winning the Carryback last out at Gulfstream. With fourth place finishes in both the Sir Barton and the Fountain of Youth (G2) on his resume, the Mucho Macho Man colt is no stranger to classy company. Trained by Rohan Crichton, Real Macho will be guided from post 2 by Trevor McCarthy.

Flirting with the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard when he ran 6th in the Risen Star (G2), Tri-Star Racing and Cimarron TTT Farms’ Awesome Ruta entered the Petramalo fresh off an allowance win at Monmouth going one mile. Transferred from Joey Foster to Dan Ward’s barn this spring, the Mendelssohn colt attracted the services of Joe Bravo for his first stakes try since finishing 9th in the Louisiana Derby.

Here is the complete field for the $150,000 Petramalo Mile from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds: Rainy Odds (Horacio Karamanos, 3-1), Kieron Magee, 5-2), Real Macho (McCarthy, Crichton, 5-2), Anointed (Denis Araujo, Michael Jones Jr., 30-1), Regalo (Sheldon Russell, Brittany Russell, 8-1), Hades (Lopez, Orseno, 9-5), Cataleya Strike (Tais Lyapustina, Rodolfo Sanchez-Solomon, 30-1), Awesome Ruta (Bravo, Ward, 4-1).

The 2023 Keswick winner, Cash is King and LC Racing’s Carmelina returns to Colonial Downs on Saturday looking to add a third stakes win to her resume in the seven-furlong $100,000 Penny Chenery. Attracting eight 3-year-old fillies, the Penny Chenery is slated as race 6.

Finishing just 3/4 lengths shy of winning the Malvern Rose at 6 1/2 furlongs last out, the Maximus Mischief filly who sports a win at the Penny Chenery distance should appreciate the added ground. Trained by Robert Reid Jr., Carmelina will be piloted by Mychel Sanchez.

Having won the Smart Halo sprinting on the dirt as a freshman, DARRS’ Cap Classique has fallen short of a second stakes score in three sophomore tries. Racing on the turf in her last two, Cap Classique will cut back from 1 1/18 miles, an angle her trainer Brittany Russell has done successfully 31% of her last 109 tries. Sheldon Russel reunites with the Vino Rosso filly and they will break from post 5.

Here is the complete field for the $100,000 Penny Chenery from the rail out with jockey, trainer and morning line odds: Savannamarie (Sebastian Saez, Nery Alvarez, 10-1), Dazzling Move (Jorge Ruiz, Mike Trombetta, 7-2), Popover Gal (Jevian Toledo, Edward Allard, 15-1), Carmelina (Sanchez, Reid, 30-1), Cap Classique (Russell, Russell, 3-1), Girvin’s Princess (jockey TBA, Kathleen O’Connell, 8-1), Kissedbyanangel (Tais Lyapustina, Joanne Shankle, 20-1), Pure Lure (Trevor McCarthy, Michael Moore, 5-2).