Masino Racing Stable, Bruce Maller, and Tom Ardnt’s Mickswagger captured his first start at stakes level in the Prairie Mile S. going a two-turn mile on June 7 at Prairie Meadows.
Trained by Bart Hone, the sophomore gray colt previously broke his maiden at second asking over the Iowa oval going the same distance, where he defeated next-out winner Sushi Man by a half-length.
Mickswagger stalked a close third while the two favorites did battle on the front end down the backstretch. Around the far turn, Mickswagger inched his way closer to the front with a four-wide bid. Mickswagger took command in the final furlong, and drew off to a three-length triumph under jockey Elvin Gonzalez. The win garnered a career-high 84 Beyer Speed Figure.
Bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm, Mickswagger is out of the Grade 1-winning Malibu Moon mare Malibu Prayer. He gave his second-crop sire Volatile another Black-type winner this year, adding to Speed King’s winning effort in the Southwest S. (G3) in January at Oaklawn Park.
