A drop in class and a return to Churchill Downs made all the difference for Mia Mischief, who romped to an easy victory in the $120,000 Dream Supreme Stakes on November 1 at Churchill Downs.
Winner of the Humana Distaff (G1) and Roxelana Stakes at Churchill Downs during the spring meet, Mia Mischief failed to bring her best form when beaten in a series of graded stakes races at Saratoga and Keeneland during the summer and fall. But something about Churchill Downs seems to invigorate the four-year-old filly, who reiterated her affinity for the Louisville oval with an impressive performance in the six-furlong Dream Supreme.
Favored at 4-5 with jockey Julien Leparoux in the saddle, Mia Mischief broke alertly from the starting gate, which was a stark contrast to her half-dozen rivals, many of whom were awkward and tardy leaving the stalls. As a result, Mia Mischief was able to secure a perfect outside trip tracking longshots Skamania and Shanghai Tariff through fractions of :22.02 and :45.21.
Mia Mischief appeared poised to seize command at any moment, but bided her time until the top of the stretch. At this juncture, she pounced to the lead with authority and easily pulled away to score by five lengths in 1:09.50.
Meadow Dance, the 2-1 second choice, produced a mild rally to edge Pretty Greeley for the runner-up spot. Shanghai Tariff and Skamania faded to finish fourth and fifth, while Upset Brewing and Ascot Day completed the order of finish.
“She ran extremely well today,” Leparoux told Churchill Downs. “She was well in hand the entire race and just did everything as easy as possible.”
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen conditions Mia Mischief for the partnership of Heiligbrodt, Heiligbrodt, Heider Family Stables, and Madaket Stables. Bred by Spendthrift Farm, Mia Mischief is a daughter of leading stallion Into Mischief out of the winning Speightstown mare Greer Lynn.
The Dream Supreme marked Mia Mischief’s fifth stakes win and her eighth victory overall from 19 starts, good for earnings of $1,083,834. She gave herself a catalog update going into Tuesday’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale, where she will sport Hip No. 150.
