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Duke of Mischief rules in rich Charles Town Classic DUKE OF MISCHIEF (Graeme Hall) returned to the winner's circle Saturday night in West Virginia, drawing off to a 2 1/4-length victory in the $1 million Charles Town Classic (G3) under jockey Joe Bravo. The five-year-old was sent off the 9-2 fourth choice in the field of 10 and paid $11.40, $6.20 and $4.20 for stopping the clock in 1:51 for nine furlongs on the sloppy, sealed dirt. Campaigned by breeder Marilyn McMaster, along with Alex and Joann Lieblong and trainer David Fawkes, Duke of Mischief settled near the rear as Tackleberry (Montbrook) set the pace along the inside through splits of :24 1/5 and :48 3/5 while tracked by Game on Dude (Awesome Again), who was three wide around the first turn and two wide around the second. Game on Dude took command and battled inside of a rallying Duke of Mischief on his outside, but could not hold his rival, who pulled off to score his first victory since upsetting the Philip H. Iselin S. (G3) in August. Game on Dude held Tizway (Tiznow) by a head on the wire, and it was another 1 3/4 lengths back to Tackleberry in fourth. Gone Astray (Dixie Union) followed by a neck, while Awesome Gem (Awesome Again) and Inherit the Gold (Gold Token) were separated by the same margin. No Advantage (Posse), 7-2 favorite Rule (Roman Ruler) and Acclamation (Unusual Heat) finished out the order under the wire. Quindici Man (Came Home), Schoolyard Dreams (Stephen Got Even), last year's Charles Town Classic winner Researcher (Two Smart) and Icabad Crane (Jump Start) were all on the also-eligible list and didn't draw in to the race. Duke of Mischief has now earned $1,662,546 in lifetime earnings to go along with his 21-7-4-0 line. In addition to the Iselin, the chestnut also captured last year's Oaklawn H. (G2) and Ft. Lauderdale S. (G3) as well as the 2009 Iowa Derby. He has placed in four stakes during his racing career, including the 2010 Salvator Mile (G3) and the Sunshine Millions Classic to open this season. The Florida-bred, who was an $35,000 OBS October RNA, is out of the winning My Lady Amelia (Real Courage), making him a half-brother to Grade 3 veteran-turned-turf-sprinter Lord Robyn (Robyn Dancer). My Lady Amelia is also responsible for an unraced sophomore colt Noble Son (Eddington). This is the family of influential sire Silver Deputy (Deputy Minister) and two-time Japan Cup Dirt (Jpn-G1) star Kane Hekili (Fuji Kiseki).
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