Table Set for Eleven in Centennial Thanksgiving Classic with Giant Mischief at the Helm
Umberto Rispoli in town with Red Flag, three mounts for Fair Grounds debut
New Orleans, La (Nov. 24, 2024) – Exiting a career best effort at Keeneland’s fall meet, Giant Mischief earned top billing for the 100th running of the $225,000 Thanksgiving Classic at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Sitting to the side of the 7-2 morning line favorite who drew the rail, the 6-furlong dirt dash attracted an eclectic table of ten, including Commonwealth (G3) champion Bo Cruz, California shipper and Bob Hope (G3) winner Red Flag, and the Cherie DeVaux upstart Montalcino.
The Classic will go as race 9 but the Thanksgiving feast begins at noon CT, as the 10-race card averages eleven runners per field, including also-eligibles.
A Brad Cox trained 4-year-old, Giant Mischief flirted with the 2023 Kentucky Derby trail but has found his best stride on the cutback. In his last-out victory over a salty allowance field, he ran a 105 Brisnet Speed figure, a career best. Grade one placed as a sprinter, the Into Mischief colt will be piloted by Marcelino Pedroza Jr. Giant Mischief is owned by Spendthrift Farm, Stonestreet Stables, Steve Landers, Martin Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, James Bakke, Titletown Racing Stables, Kueber Racing, Big Easy Racing, Rick Kanter, and Michael Caruso.
In seven starts, Skyscraper Racing, Brian Pagano, Dennis Narlinger, Peter Martine, and Patrick Grippo’s Bo Cruz has only finished out of the money once for trainer Al Stall Jr. Winning the Commonwealth (G3) at Keeneland last spring, the 4-year-old appeared to be at the start of a stellar campaign but has not raced since. Posting a solid worktab of seven steady, fast drills, the Creative Cause colt will look to get back on the right foot from post 9 with Jareth Loveberry in the reins.
Duke Perry Stable, White Fence, Larry Buckendorf, and Jeffrey Lambert’s 6-year-old Red Flag, winner of the 2020 Bob Hope (G3), adds an extra level of intrigue to the Classic, as the Robert Hess Jr. trainee brings jockey Umberto Rispoli with him from California. Rispoli is a world-class rider who has never ridden in New Orleans. Rattling off three wins in a row at Del Mar, Red Flag has been taking on stout company, including last out beating Skinner ahead of that one’s graded stake score.
Debuting as a 3-year-old, Montalcino proved immediately effective, winning his debut at Saratoga this summer for trainer Cherie DeVaux. The 3-year-old wired an allowance field at Keeneland to earn a 101 Brisnet Speed figure, meaning he very much fits in stakes company. Jose Ortiz reunites with the 4-1 morning line second choice who will look to pass the class test on Thanksgiving.
Other logical contenders include Champlin, the Greg Foley trainee who was a neck shy of winning his first added money event last out in the Bet On Sunshine; last year’s Classic champion Miles Ahead from Paul McGee’s barn; and the Tom Amoss trained 2024 Colonel Power victor, Minnesota Ready.
Here is the complete field for the $225,000 Thanksgiving Classic from the rail out (with jockey, trainer and morning line odds): Giant Mischief (Marcelino Pedroza Jr., Brad Cox, 7-2), Minnesota Ready (James Graham, Tom Amoss, 8-1), Miles Ahead (Colby Hernandez, Paul McGee, 10-1), Bourbon Heist (Jamie Torres, Steve Asmussen, 10-1), Montalcino (Jose Ortiz, Cherie DeVaux, 4-1), The Donegal Clan (C.J. McMahon, Dane Noel, 20-1), Red Flag (Umberto Rispoli, Robert Hess Jr., 6-1), Happy American (Declan Cannon, Neil Pessin, 30-1), Komorebino Omoide (Jpn) (Jansen Melancon, Robertino Diodoro, 8-1), Bo Cruz (Jareth Loveberry, At Stall Jr., 6-1), Champlin (Mitchell Murrill, Greg Foley, 6-1).
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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 15 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 153rd Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 112th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 22, 2024 through March 23, 2025. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.
