Everso Mischievous Heads Small Field in Nerud Stakes

You’ll excuse the connections of Everso Mischievous  if they have stricken the memory of their colt’s last trip to Aqueduct Racetrack from their memory banks.

Sent off as a 5-2 favorite in the Dec. 2 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2), Qatar Racing’s son of Into Mischief   was steadied at the five-eighths pole and retreated to 11th in the field of 12.

Making his first start since the Cigar Mile, the Brad Cox-trained Everso Mischievous rolled to a 1 1/4-length victory in a May 31 mile allowance optional claiming race at Churchill Downs. His fifth victory in eight career starts, it put him back on the winning track he occupied when he captured the Oct. 28 Forty Niner Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct in his start prior to the Cigar and his debut in graded stakes company.

Unlike the Cigar, which attracted a full field of 12, the seven-furlong Nerud drew a field of just five, heightening the chances that Everso Mischievous would once again be sent off as the betting favorite. In his eight career starts, the son of the Medaglia d’Oro   mare Ever So Clever  has been sent off as the betting favorite seven times.

He was bought for $85,000 from the Highgate Sales consignment at the 2022 Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale after going for $600,000 from the consignment of breeder Clearsky Farms at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

The small field also includes LC Racing’s Ninetyprcentmaddie  who has been dealing with a case of second-itis. Trained by Butch Reid, the Pennsylvania-bred Weigelia   gelding was second in his last four starts.

Most recently he was the runner-up to runaway winner Baby Yoda  in the June 8 True North Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course. Prior to that, he was second in the Runhappy Stakes (G3), Page McKenney Handicap, and City of Laurel Stakes. 

He is also entered in Saturday’s Alapocas Run Stakes at Delaware Park.

Godolphin’s Prevalence  was also second in his last start, the Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3) at Pimlico Race Course.

A homebred son of Medaglia d’Oro trained by Brendan Walsh, the 6-year-old gelding was a decisive 6 1/2-length victor in an April 6 allowance optional claimer at Keeneland in his prior start.

Owner/trainer Jeff Runco’s Coastal Mission  is another member of the “Runner-Up Club” with a second in the Salvator Mile Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park in his last start. He was fourth in the six-furlong Maryland Sprint before that.

The West Virginia-bred Great Notion   gelding has won 12 of 21 starts with earnings of $691,653.

WinStar Farm and Siena Farm’s Mullikin  returns to stakes company for the first time since finishing second in the Maxfield Overnight Stakes at Ellis Park a little more than a year ago.

The son of Violence   trained by Rodolphe Brisset exits a pair of Kentucky allowance wins in his two 2024 starts after a nine-month layoff.