Ridden by Patrick Husbands, Midnight Mascot, a son of Army Mule out of Midnight Embrace, by Midnight Lute, notched his first stakes victory for trainer Mark Casse and owners Manfred and Penny Conrad.

A butt for dreary jests, a homely beast to look upon, the U.S. mule—4,500,000 strong—is again coming into his own. Farmers, threatened with a tractor shortage, are buying mules. The U.S. Army ...