Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: By George, Prate enhance Into Mischief’s stellar season

Two-time leading sire Into Mischief is enjoying a banner year. His progeny, led by Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic, have earned more than $22 million in 2020 alone.

Into Mischief just keeps cranking out winners left and right, with two more graduating from the maiden ranks on Saturday. Both were 2-year-olds with potential Road to the Kentucky Derby aspirations, so let’s take a moment to review their performances:

By George

At first glance, there’s no reason to get excited about the winning time posted by By George in a 6-furlong maiden special weight on Saturday at Aqueduct. The front-running son of Into Mischief required 1:13.58 to complete the race, a time that ranked more than six seconds off the track record.

But the Aqueduct main track was very slow on Saturday, so By George’s time was actually a lot sharper than it appears at first glance. Furthermore, the Christophe Clement trainee made a nice visual impression, drawing away readily down the stretch to defeat a quality field (including a pair of well-bet Todd Pletcher runners) by 5 1/4 lengths.

Produced by the Malibu Moon mare Phoenician Moon, By George races for the partnership of Jump Sucker Stable, Claiborne Farm, and Adele B. Dilschneider. Having secured a maiden victory on debut, By George figures to step up in class and distance for his next run.

Prate

A Juddmonte Farms homebred trained by Brad Cox, Prate left no doubt about his superiority in a 6-furlong maiden special weight on Saturday at Fair Grounds. After saving ground behind the leaders through a blazing opening quarter in :21.26, Prate had to wait in traffic around the turn, biding his time until an opening appeared outside of runners.

At that point, Prate turned on the afterburners. Poised to strike following a half-mile in :44.92, Prate rallied powerfully under a hand ride down the homestretch, surging clear through a final furlong in :12.54 to beat his rivals by 4 1/4 lengths in 1:09.81. This excellent time was substantially quicker than the 1:10.12 required by Quick Tempo to win the Sugar Bowl S. earlier in the afternoon.

You can argue Prate’s pedigree is geared more toward success in sprints and miles than classic routes, but from a talent perspective, the sky is the limit for this eye-catching gray colt.