Just one month ago, the trio of jockey Florent Geroux, trainer Brad Cox, and owner/breeder Juddmonte Farms experienced the ultimate disappointment when their champion Idiomatic retired with an injury one week before a title defense attempt in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).
However, it appears the torch has been passed as Idiomatic's 2-year-old Into Mischief half sister Chasten debuted a winner Nov. 30 on the Stars of Tomorrow II card at Churchill Downs.
A daughter of stakes-winning First Defence mare Lockdown, Chasten shares several similarities to her Curlin sibling.
"She's big—she's got size just like her sister," Cox said. "If she's half as good as Idiomatic we'll be just fine."
However, Chasten's performance was entirely different than the front-running tactics that made Idiomatic famous. A little flat-footed out of the gate, Chasten found herself last of eight at the start of the $117,750 seven-furlong contest.
#Chasten wins her debut in the opener at @ChurchillDowns.
— Sean Collins (@BH_SCollins) November 30, 2024
She is a half sister to champion #Idiomatic for the same team: @flothejock @bradcoxracing and @JuddmonteFarms pic.twitter.com/rXrJacbyOm
"She ran to the way she worked," Cox said. "She's just a touch slow away from the gate, it takes her a few jumps to get into stride. We thought going seven-eighths they'd outrun her early."
Geroux never panicked behind fractions of :22.20 and :45.13, allowing his "big, scopey" filly to get her legs beneath her. By the time they entered the far turn she'd begun picking off horses and turned for home fourth just behind the leaders.
Angled outside for the stretch drive, Chasten ground away at the leaders and took command passing the sixteenth pole, winning by 1 1/2 lengths and stopping the clock in 1:23.26.
"She's still really green, but was able to overcome that," Geroux said. "She was able to run down some horses who were more experienced. Moving forward, she's definitely a horse to beat with more ground."
Idiomatic's heroics came mostly in races contested at 1 1/16 and 1 1/8 miles. Both Geroux and Cox are in agreement that Chasten will follow suit as she begins to stretch out.
"I think she has a lot of ability and talent," Cox said. "It wasn't just breaking on top, showing the way and holding off horses. She ran down some fillies and galloped out well. She didn't seem to be too stressed in the winner's circle afterward. Good start today and we'll let her lead the way."
Lockdown, also a Juddmonte homebred, is out of the winning Storm Cat mare Rising Tornado. Lockdown is a full sister to 2014 champion older mare Close Hatches, who produced graded stakes winners Tacitus , Scylla, and Batten Down.
Five-time reigning champion sire Into Mischief, who will stand the 2025 season at Spendthrift Farm for a fee of $250,000, has had another stellar season with 32 stakes winners entering Saturday—16 graded and five at the grade 1 level. Grade 1 winners this year include Citizen Bull, Gina Romantica, Leslie's Rose, Laurel River, and Newgate .
