Sacrosanct, a New York-bred horse, continued to shine with an impressive 4-for-4 record. In Saturday's $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series, he held off National Identity by a head. This was part of a sire sweep for Into Mischief, as his daughter Stone Smuggler won the Fifth Avenue division for 2-year-old fillies.

Details of Sacrosanct's Victory

Trained by dual Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox and owned by Lady Sheila Stable, Net Birdie and Schwing Thoroughbreds, Sacrosanct entered off a pair of local state-bred stakes scores. He captured the Sleepy Hollow by 1 1/2 lengths last out on October 27 after a dominant 12-length victory in the Bertram F. Bongard on September 22. Ridden by returning rider Manny Franco in both victories and with a 3 1/4-length debut score in August at Saratoga, Sacrosanct showed his mettle.Under Franco, Sacrosanct settled into second position to stalk George Weaver-trained Bold Fortune, who led through an opening quarter-mile in 22.30 seconds. As the race progressed, Sacrosanct put his head in front of Bold Fortune at the top of the lane to take a narrow lead. National Identity improved down the center of the course and was quickly within a half-length. Sacrosanct endured the sharp fractions on the front end but ultimately kept his head in front to maintain his perfect record with a final time of 1:24.10.

Insights from the Race

Dustin Dugas, Cox's New York-based assistant, praised Sacrosanct's performance. "They were setting an honest pace, and when the runner-up came up to him, he really dug in. I was really happy with the horse," he said. Carmouche, who rode Danny Gargan-trained National Identity, said the horse was game in defeat. "He tried his best, just second best. Nothing you can do. I had him in the right spot, and I thought (Sacrosanct) was going quick enough in front where I could have run him down," he said.Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, aboard fourth-place Soontobeking for Weaver, was unlucky when forced to check as Dylan Davis-ridden stablemate Bold Fortune weakened. "I thought I had it. I did the right thing. The horse comes from behind. I saved all the ground and tried to go through on the rail," he said.

Details of Stone Smuggler's Victory

Owned by NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and SunsetRidge Racing Stable and trained by Jorge Abreu, Stone Smuggler gave her sire a sweep of the two stallion stakes. She added to a maiden-breaking score in the 5 1/2-furlong state-bred Lady Finger in September at Finger Lakes and improved from a prominent third last out at Aqueduct in the state-bred Key Cents on November 17.Guided by José Lezcano, Stone Smuggler emerged sharpest from the outermost post but was unhurried as a quartet of foes led by rail-skimming Bam's Bliss Kiss all made a dash for the front. Through the half-mile in 46.59 seconds, Stone Smuggler no longer was alone on the far outside as Princess Mischief and post-time favorite Boston's Phinest ranged up even wider from well off the pace. She inched clear and dug in valiantly to turn back her foe, scoring by 1 3/4 lengths in a final time of 1:24.90.

Insights from Stone Smuggler's Race

Lezcano, aboard for the first time in the afternoon, said the filly was professional in her first start going beyond six furlongs. "She ran a good race. I think the seven-eighths was no problem for her," he said. Abreu was pleased with the trip Lezcano worked out. "She really ran well. I was a little concerned about the seven-eighths with her. I didn't know if she could go that far, but she did it," he said.Dan Zanatta, co-managing partner of NY Final Furlong Racing Stable, praised Sequel Stallions' popular young sire Honest Mischief. "We ended up buying four Honest Mischiefs pretty early at the weanling and yearling sales. They were all really balanced, maybe a little shorter-legged horses, but they all had tremendous hips, great girths, great toplines and great walking motion," he said.