Giant Mischief secured his first stakes victory today, winning the $150,000 Fall Highweight Stakes at Aqueduct by three-quarters of a length over the multiple graded stakes-winning Runninsonofagun. Giant Mischief was the 4-5 post-time favorite following his allowance score at Keeneland in October, which came off a layoff.

The field broke in a line, and Giant Mischief, breaking from the outside post, sat just half a length off the eventual runner-up as they ran down the backstretch. “My horse broke good, and I was just stalking those two horses. I was happy and comfortable with what I had under me,” said jockey Manny Franco. Perched three wide around the turn and in about the five path on the racetrack, Manny asked Giant Mischief to pick up the pace, and he responded with a sharp turn of foot to get on even terms with Runninsonofagun at the eighth pole, edging clear in the final sixteenth to win by three-quarters of a length.

“At the quarter pole, when I put my horse in the clear outside of [Runninsonofagun], my horse just got brave and gave me a nice acceleration,” Manny told NYRA.
The final time of 1:09 1/5 is notably fast for Aqueduct, marking the second-fastest six furlongs run on dirt at the track in the last two years.

Bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift Farm, Giant Mischief is trained by Brad Cox and owned by a partnership consisting of Spendthrift Farm, Stonestreet Stables, Steve Landers, Martin Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, James Bakke, Titletown Racing Stables, Kueber Racing LLC, Big Easy Racing LLC, Rick Kanter, and Michael Caruso. He was a BSW/Crow yearling purchase at Keeneland September in 2021.