Critical Eye Preview: More Mischief Trying to Stay Hot

ELMONT, NY – Wise Racing’s More Mischief rides her recent hot streak into Thursday’s $125,000 Critical Eye Handicap at Belmont Park, a 1-mile main track event for New York-bred fillies and mares.

More Mischief has won both starts in 2020, each a 1-mile dirt sprint at Aqueduct that, like this race, were against her own kind. The 4-year-old Into Mischief filly won her first stakes last time out, conquering the Biogo’s Rose Stakes over two competitors whome she will face again here.

Her greatest threat on paper comes from Ratajkowski, the even-money morning line favorite. Though she did not make her first start until halfway through last June as a 5-year-old, she has done little wrong since, posting a 5-4-1-0 record against her fellow Big Apple natives before finishing fourth in the open-company Falls City Handicap (G2).

Here is a look at the full field for Thursday’s Critical Eye, which will go off at 5:36 PM Eastern as race 9 on the Belmont Park card:

1. English Soul (8/1) – As a 5-year-old mare by English Channel, her turf record is understably strong (7-0-4-1), but her 4 winning efforts have all come on dirt. Her biggest accomplishment to date was clinching the 2018 Fleet Indian Stakes at Saratoga, which also represents her last trip to the winner’s circle.

2. Ratajkowski (1/1) – The morning line favorite’s 2020 debut coincides with her inaugural run for new trainer Graham Motion, who wins 21% with first-time starters. Though she has gone unraced since last November’s Falls City Handicap (G2), she has worked steadily leading up to this race and Motion fires 24% with runners returning from a layoff of at least 180 days.

3. No Hayne No Gayne (5/1) – She is the most seasoned and successful entry, with 6 wins from 29 starts under her belt that includes last August’s Jack Betta Be Rite Stakes at Finger Lakes. The 6-year-old Haynesfield mare has improved her Beyer speed figure in each of her past three appearances and will have Reylu Gutierrez aboard for the fourth straight start.

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4. Mrs. Orb (10/1) – She put together a four-race win streak last fall that came to an abrupt end in the Biogo’s Rose Stakes, where she finished a well-beaten sixth behind More Mischief. Dylan Davis, aboard for each of those prior victories, will tack back up for the seventh straight race.

5. More Mischief (9/5) – She earned a career-best 90 Beyer speed figure when winning the Biogo’s Rose Stakes, the highest last-time-out for any entry and tying Ratajkowski for the largest career mark. The improving Chad Brown trainee looms the biggest threat to upsetting the morning line favorite.

6. The Great Johanna (15/1) – Though the longest shot on the board, her 4 wins at this distance (from 8 starts) are the most of anyone in the field. She won her most recent effort, a 1-mile optional claiming sprint at Aqueduct against state-breds.