Best Bet for the Lady Jacqueline Stakes

Fillies and mares will travel 1 1/8 miles on the Thistledown dirt in Saurday’s $250,000 Lady Jacqueline S. A total of ten will go postward in the affair, and I expect the race to come down to a pair of ladies inside the final furlong.

Lady Jacqueline Wager

• $20 exacta box 5-6 ($40)

Grade-1 placed #5 Musical Mischief (5-2) improved after she stretched out in distance last campaign, and while the four-year-old is not the most consistent thing in training, she looks set for a big effort on Saturday in her third run off the shelf. Trained by Mike McCarthy, the Into Mischief filly made her 2024 debut at Keeneland in a strong allowance tilt and finished a solid second while being forwardly placed throughout. 

Musical Mischief led at the top of the lane before finishing a clear runner-up in her latest effort in the DuPont at Pimlico on May 17. She had no chance with the excellent Shotgun Hottie in the lane in that outing, but this field lacks horses of that caliber, in my opinion. The bay has been training in good fashion as of late it seems, and natural progression in her third start off of the long break is expected. Edgar Morales will ride. 

#6 Misty Veil (3-1) will track the aforementioned contender and it will be those two to battle it out late. Trained by Mike Maker, the six-year-old picked up a stakes win while also placing in a trio of black-type events at Oaklawn Park this season. She was unplaced in the Apple Blossom (G1) while facing much better in her latest appearance and comes in fresh for a fine layoff conditioner. The Tonalist mare was fourth in the race in 2023, but that was a deep field and she is a better horse right now, as well. 

The Kentucky-bred chestnut possesses very good tactical speed and she will press the pace from the early stages. I like that Ramon Vazquez, who was her regular rider in Arkansas, will come in to retain the mount atop the talented win threat.