Honest Mischief Juveniles, Spirit of New York and Oh, Win $100K-Plus Stakes on Dirt & Turf
Leading Northeastern juvenile sire and second-crop sire HONEST MISCHIEF picked up
new black-type stakes winners on dirt and turf when SPIRIT OF NEW YORK and OH
won the Bertram F. Bongard at Belmont at the Big A, September 20, and Lady Finger S.
at Finger Lakes, September 22, respectively. Both 2-year-olds were favored.
Honest Mischief’s six stakes winners have won four stakes on fast dirt, three on wet dirt,
and two on turf.
Spirit of New York, racing for Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group LLC (Stuart Grant),
Winners Win and Mark Parkinson under the care of trainer Adam Rice, was making his
third start following a placing in Saratoga’s Skidmore Stakes for open 2-year-olds, when
he brushed the gate at the break. He was the only starter among six in the $150,000
Bongard at six furlongs on Belmont’s outer turf whose sire stands outside Kentucky.
Oh, William J. Butler’s homebred filly trained by Michael Maker, is now two-for-two on fast
and sloppy tracks at Saratoga and Finger Lakes. Both are the first stakes winners out of
their relatively young, winless dams, who immediately became stakes producers.
Spirit of New York chased the pace from outside before taking command in the stretch
and setting a 56.76 five-furlong fraction en route to a winning time of 1:08.55. Winning
jockey Manny Franco said that his mount “was helping me the whole way. I made my
move, and he made the lead. As soon as he felt the horse outside of him, he kept on
going.”
Trainer Rice confessed he “like(s) the horse (Spirit of New York) a lot. I’m blessed to be
able to keep him after the new ownership took over. I think I left him a little short last
time (the Skidmore). I picked him up a little more this time. He’s matured physically and
mentally.” Bred by Magic Oaks Farm, Spirit of New York is the second starter and second
winner – but first juvenile winner – produced from his unplaced dam. He is the first stakes
winner produced from two generations (first and second dams) in his female family.
Oh, ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr., was odds-on among eight in the 5 1/2-furlong
$116,528 Lady Finger and led at every call, though she appeared slightly uneasy exiting
the turn on Finger Lakes’ extremely sloppy track and briefly switched to her left lead
before switching back. That maneuver might have cut into her 2 1/2-length mid-stretch
advantage, but she had more than enough margin left to hold off the runner-up, a
daughter of a $110,000-fee sire. Like Spirit of New York in the Bongard, Oh was facing a
full field of rivals whose sires stand in Kentucky, with exception of another Honest
Mischief filly making her first start. Oh is the third offspring, third starter, and second winner
produced from her unraced dam.
Honest Mischief is co-leading 2025 Northeastern sire of stakes winners and stakes
horses.