Mizdirection successfully defends Monrovia title

"My filly

actually made me idle for a sixteenth of a mile

there, where I wondered if I was going to get there.

But she gave me another surge and a nice late kick,

and galloped out really well. Hopefully that's an

indication that she'll at least get a mile. I

certainly believe so. Hopefully I prove myself right."

"You had to be (closer)

under the pace conditions. There was no speed in the

race (besides Kindle)," trainer Mike Puype praised

Smith's ride. "If no one was going to go, so

if we don't, I couldn't count on (jockey Garrett) Gomez (on Broken

Dreams) pushing it. I knew we'd have to be the one

that would be closest to her.

"His ride won the race.

Any other rider doesn't win that race today, no way,

because that mare (Kindle) ran great at Hollywood

(winning the Cool Air) when she was the lone speed

and she's gotten better. She's a runner. Of course

(he was concerned that Mizdirection might not get up). But she threw it down."

Sent off the 4-5 favorite, Mizdirection paid $3.80, $2.40 and $2.10 to her

many backers. Kindle was the second pick at 9-5 and proved best of the rest in

second. Givine, Byrama and Broken Dreams completed the order under the wire

after Curvy Cat was scratched.

"She did

perfect, she did everything right," Maldonado said.

"I was hoping for

Mike Smith to be farther back. When I looked to my

right before we even hit the three-eighths (pole) he was

almost a length behind me, that surprised me."

Mizdirection broke into the millionaire ranks with her second straight

Monrovia win, having thus far banked $1,004,621. All but three of her 13 career

races have come against stakes company, and the gray mare has yet to place out

of the money, though she did finish fourth once before being moved up to third

via the disqualification of another rival.

That particular race came in the Grade 2 Raven Run in October 2011 at

Keeneland and joins the Great Lady M. at Hollywood Park earlier this season, as

well as the Grade 2 San Clemente Handicap and Manhattan Beach in 2011, as

Mizdirection's four stakes placings. In addition to her two Monrovia scores and

Breeders' Cup triumph, which was her first race back from a five-month layoff

following the Great Lady M., the mare also boasts wins in the Clocker's Corner

Handicap, Sandy Blue Handicap and Las Cienegas Handicap.

Mizdirection is campaigned by a partnership made up of noted sports

broadcaster Jim Rome's Jungle Racing Stable, William Strauss, Daniel Grohs,

Boris Beljak and

KMN Racing et al. With 13 races now under her girth, she boasts a scorecard that

reads 8-4-1.

"Right when you

think maybe she's beat, she just digs deep and finds

a way to do it. And as I always say in this moment,

I could not be more proud of her," Rome said after

the race. "She's got another

gear. She does not like to lose. When she's got a

good target to shoot for, she usually turns out pretty well."

Puype indicated after the Monrovia he wants to stretch the mare

out a bit and has tabbed the Grade 2 Buena Vista on February 18 going a mile as

Mizdirection's likely next start. Her previous tries at a mile, and the only

times she's run farther than seven furlongs, came in the Sandy Blue and San

Clement at Del Mar.

Bred in Kentucky by Joseph Perrotta, Mizdirection was produced by the Clever

Trick mare Deceptive, who is also the dam of stakes winner Hurricane Bernie.

This is the extended family of Grade 1 vixen Hooh Why and Grade 3 victor Jaded

Dancer.

Mizdirection was a $50,000 two-year-old in training purchase at the Fasig-Tipton

Midlantic May sale and previously brought $85,000 as a Keeneland September

yearling.

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