Mittens And Mink Wins Carrying Double

When Mittens And Mink won Wednesday’s second race at Hollywood Park, she was carrying more than the assigned 117 pounds.

When Bob Hess Jr. claimed her for $16,000, he was getting two horses for the price of one.

The 7-year-old mare is in foal to Gray Slewpy.

“It’s really not that uncommon,” said trainer Mike Mitchell, who lost the daughter of Northern Fashion to Hess. “I think it’s (racing mares in foal) done in Kentucky a whole lot more than it is here.”

Mittens And Mink, who won the race by 1 1/4 lengths under jockey Gary Stevens, was making her first start since last Sept. 12 at Del Mar.

“I turned her out after that race,” Mitchell said. “Her ankle was bothering her and when she recovered, we started her back in training but she wasn’t doing very well. So I called her owner and it was decided to send her to Cardiff Stud, where she was bred to Gray Slewpy. It didn’t take right off, but we tried about three times and it worked. And while she was breeding, we put her in mild training.”

Mitchell, who also has Miss High Blade in foal to Houston, said when the foal is dropped, it belongs to whoever has the mare at the time, even though his owner paid the $3,500 stud fee for Gray Slewpy.

The gestation period for a thoroughbred is 11 months.