Gone Astray blows by field in Salvator Mile

Duke of Mischief (Graeme Hall), the near 3-1 third choice, came along to edge

You and I Forever for the place by a neck and returned $4.40 and $3.60. The 8-1

You and I Forever, who paid $4.20, was 3 1/4 lengths ahead of Le Grand Cru, who

had slightly more than a dozen lengths on Munnings. The exacta was worth $70.20

and the 5-4-3 trifecta gave back $267.60.

Placing only once in his first four stakes attempts, that being a third in

the Withers S. (G3), Gone Astray finally began to show signs of life last summer

when missing by a head in the Coronado's Quest S. at Monmouth and by three parts

of a length to Blame (Arch) in the Curlin S. at Saratoga. He next blew away his

rivals by more than nine lengths in the Pennsylvania Derby (G2) then took the

Ohio Derby (G2) by 2 1/4 lengths. He closed out his sophomore season when a

subpar third in the Discovery H. (G3) to Haynesfield (Speightstown), the winner

of Saturday's Suburban H. (G2).

Gone Astray's form heading into the Salvator Mile was lackluster to say the

least. Beaten nearly five lengths into third in the Razorback H. (G3) in his

March comeback (he was subsequently elevated to second via disqualification), he

was seventh, beaten 20 lengths, in the April 17 Charles Town Classic after

clipping heels with a rival. Facing an even softer pace than what he eventually

encountered in the Salvator Mile, he was a non-threatening third in the Skip

Away S. over 1 1/16 miles at Monmouth. Now a potential candidate for the

Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Churchill Downs in November, the dark bay has

now accumulated earnings of $1,065,262 from a line of 17-5-4-4.

The Kentucky-bred Gone Astray is out of the unraced Illicit (Mr. Prospector),

making him a half-brother to German Group 3-placed Contentious (Giant's

Causeway), a yearling filly named Tactful Lady (Langfuhr) and a 2010 colt by

Dixie Union. Illicit is herself a half-sister to 2005 champion three-year-old

filly Smuggler (Unbridled). Gone Astray's second dam is Hall of Famer Inside

Information (Private Account), who is in turn a half-sister to multiple Grade

1-winning millionaire and graded stakes producer Educated Risk (Mr. Prospector).

Gone Astray's fifth dam is the influential matron Grey Flight (*Mahmoud).