Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Cyclone Mischief
Cyclone Mischief winning at Gulfstream Park (Photo by Ryan Thompson/Coglianese Photos)
April 24th, 2023
Can Cyclone Mischief become the third son of Into Mischief to win the Kentucky Derby (G1)? Third-place finishes behind champion Forte in the Fountain of Youth (G2) and Florida Derby (G1) suggest Cyclone Mischief has the talent to factor, and his pedigree doesn’t disagree.
| Cyclone Mischief |
|---|
Harlan's Holiday | ||
Into Mischief | ||
Leslie's Lady | ||
Cyclone Mischief | ||
Bernardini | ||
Areyoucominghere | ||
Uchitel |
Into Mischief was a sprinter/miler who scored his signature victory in the 1 1/16-mile CashCall Futurity (G1), and generally speaking he’s known for siring speed horses who win at the modest average distance of 6.8 furlongs. Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) winners Gamine and Covfefe plus Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) heroes Life Is Good and Goldencents are prime examples.
But Into Mischief occasionally sires horses with classic stamina. Florida Derby (G1) winner Audible finished third in the 2018 Kentucky Derby, and two years later Authentic wired a Kentucky Derby postponed until September due to COVID-19. The following spring, Mandaloun won a traditional Kentucky Derby via the disqualification of Medina Spirit, giving Into Mischief back-to-back Derby winners.
Predicting which of Into Mischief’s progeny will shine running long isn’t easy, and Cyclone Mischief’s racing record to date hints he might be more of a miler type, since he’s lost ground from the eighth pole to the finish line in all four of his graded stakes starts. But drawing conclusions might be premature, because the bottom half of Cyclone Mischief’s pedigree is geared toward stamina.
Can a horse's sire indicate which race conditions he or she will relish?@J_Keelerman certainly thinks so!
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) September 29, 2021
He explains 👇 https://t.co/6F0AeqAzs6
Cyclone Mischief’s dam is Areyoucominghere, a daughter of Preakness (G1) winner Bernardini out of Uchitel, by Preakness and Belmont (G1) winner Afleet Alex. Both Bernardini and Afleet Alex earned champion three-year-old males honors in no small part due to their Triple Crown exploits, and while Uchitel never raced she’s the dam of Southwest (G3) winner, Arkansas Derby (G1) runner-up, and Kentucky Derby fifth-place finisher Suddenbreakingnews.
The progeny of Bernardini have won at a lofty average distance of 7.5 furlongs and include Pegasus World Cup (G1) winner Art Collector and Travers (G1) heroes Stay Thirsty and Alpha. Bernardini is proving to be an equal source of stamina as a broodmare sire, with his daughters foaling Saudi Cup (G1) winner Emblem Road, Kentucky Oaks (G1) heroine Serengeti Empress, Travers winner Catholic Boy, two-time Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) victor Colonel Liam, Clark (G1) winner Maxfield, and three-time Grade 1 winner Clairiere.
Bernardini is also the broodmare sire of Rebel (G2) winner Confidence Game, an expected starter in the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
We can’t wrap up without highlighting the stud record of Afleet Alex, whose best runners include Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Texas Red, Travers conqueror Afleet Express, Florida Derby (G1) winner Materiality, and Breeders’ Cup Marathon (G2) hero Afleet Again. Meanwhile, daughters of Afleet Alex have produced the long-winded Belmont winner Sir Winston and Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Practical Move, one of the favorites for the 2023 Kentucky Derby.
With the stamina of Bernardini and Afleet Alex counterbalancing the speed of Into Mischief, handling the 1 1/4-mile distance of the Kentucky Derby isn’t out of the question for Cyclone Mischief.
