Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s Casalu (Caracaro – Key d’Oro, by Medaglia d’Oro) headlined the list of stakes-winning Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company graduates the past week when she captured the $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita Park Feb. 9.
Casalu wins the Sweet Life Stakes. (Benoit photo)
The daughter of Caracaro notched her second consecutive stakes win as she scored by 1 ¾ lengths over runner-up and fellow OBS grad As Catch Can. Casalu was purchased by Three Amigos for $775,000 out of the Global Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training after breezing a quarter in :20.2.
At Gulfstream Park Feb. 8, Leon Ellman, Glassman Racing and Laurie Plesa’s Epona’s Hope (Adios Charlie – Alotofappeal, by Trippi) led every step en route to the victory in the $140,000 Ladies’ Turf Sprint. The bay filly was purchased by her owners for $295,000 from the Ocala Stud consignment at the 2023 OBS March Sale after breezing in in :21.1. (Under Tack Video)
In the $100,000 Minaret Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 8, Florida-bred Nic’s Style (Uncaptured – Sense When, by Street Sense) unleashed a monster rally to earn her third straight stakes victory and sixth win from seven career starts. She was purchased by owner Stephen Rousseau for $25,000 out of the Summerfield consignment at the 2021 October Yearling Sale.
Baoma Corp.’s Tenma (Nyquist – Amagansett, by Tapit)launched herself atop the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) leaderboard when she scored a 6 ½ length win in the $100,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park Feb. 2 to lead the slate of stakes-winning Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company graduates this past week.
The victory earned Tenma 20 additional qualifying points for this year’s Kentucky Oaks, improving her total to 33 points overall. In addition to leading a 1-2 finish for OBS grads in the Las Virgenes, she won her debut in August at Del Mar last year then scored in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) and Starlet Stakes (G2) to close out her juvenile season.
Tenma wins the Las Virgenes (Benoit Photo)
The daughter of Nyquist was purchased by Baoma for $850,000 out of the Wavertree Stables consignment at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training after breezing an eighth in :9.4.
On Feb. 1, My Way Racing’s El Potente (Temple City – Charmsil, by Silver Charm) notched his first career graded stakes win when he rolled to a three-length victory in the $100,000 Thunder Road Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita. El Potente was purchased by McMahon and Hill Bloodstock, agent for $35,000 out of the Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2021 OBS June Sale after breezing in :10.1 (Under Tack Video).
On Jan. 31, Chancheng Glory (Mor Spirit – Solid Scam, by Consolidator) earned the biggest win of his career on an international stage when he prevailed in the HK$4.2 million Group 3 Centenary Vase Handicap at Sha Tin. The Iowa-bred gelding was an RNA at the 2022 OBS March Sale where he was offered by Pike Racing and breezed in :10 flat (Under Tack Video).
Other stakes winners included D. J. Stable LLC and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’Vixen (Vekoma – Top Mission, by Noble Mission (GB) making an impressive 2025 debut when she took the $165,000 Sweetest Chant Feb. 1 at Gulfstream Park. The Mark Casse trainee was purchased by D. J. Stable for $200,000 out of the SGV Thoroughbreds at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale after breezing in :10.1.
At Aqueduct on Feb. 1, Bran Jam Stable and David Clark’s Volleyballprincess (Mo Town – Prom Dress, by Stephen Got Even) netted her first stakes victory in the $125,000 Ruthless Stakes over fellow OBS Grad Ourdaydreaminggirl. The North Carolina bred filly was sold for $17,000 by RiceHorse Stable to Louis Linder Jr. at the 2024 OBS March Sale after breezing in :10 flat.
At Oaklawn Park Feb. 1, Kaleem Shah’s Benedetta (City of Light – Tessie Flip, by Grand Slam) earned her fourth consecutive victory when she delivered in the $150,000 American Beauty for older female sprinters. She was purchased for $750,000 at the 2023 OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training by KSI out of the Top Line Sales consignment after breezing in :9.4 (Under Tack Video).
At Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots Feb. 1, Gentry Farms’ Accomplished Girl (Street Boss – Dazzle, by Twirling Candy) earned her second stakes victory of the meet when she annexed the $100,000 Robert “Bobby” Kelly Memorial. The daughter of Street Boss was purchased for $275,000 by Gentry Farms/Saffie Joseph out of the Grassroots Training & Sales consignment at the 2022 OBS Spring Sale after breezing in :9.3 (Under Tack Video).
At Delta Downs Feb. 1, Rand S. Metoyer’s Wonderrand (Cloud Computing – Laughing Saint, by Vindication) took the $125,000 LA Bred Premier Night Distaff Stakes. She was purchased for $30,000 out of the 2023 OBS Spring Sale from the Grassroots Training and Sales consignment after breezing in :10.1 (Under Tack Video).
C2 Racing Stable, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Antonio Pagnano’s White Abarrio (Race Day – Catching Diamonds, by Into Mischief) was the star of a banner weekend for Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company graduates as he turned in a stakes-record 6 1/4-length triumph in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 25.
The winner of the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) covered the distance in 1:48.05 over a fast main track to surpass the previous largest margin of victory, 5 3/4 lengths, set by City of Light in 2019.
White Abarrio (Coglianese/Lauren King photo)
“I thought the Breeders’ Cup Classic was the best race of his life, but this was very close behind,” trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. told the Gulfstream Park publicity team. “Everything just aligned. You come up with a plan and more often than not it doesn’t work, but today it did.”
A two-time OBS graduate, White Abarrio was sold by Summerfield (Francis & Barbara Vanlangendonck), Agent, at the 2020 Winter Mixed Sale and then purchased for $40,000 out of the Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2021 March Sale after breezing an eighth in 10.2. (Under Tack video).
White Abarrio was one of four OBS graduates to earn grade/group wins the past week.
The undercard of the Pegasus World Cup saw C2 Racing Stable LLC and Stefania Farms’ Mystic Lake (Mo Town – Salty Soul, by Itsmyluckyday) capture the $215,000 Inside Information (G2). The 3-year-old Florida-bred filly, a two-time OBS graduate, was sold by Summerfield Agent at the 2022 October Yearling Sale and then purchased for $130,000 out of the Tom McCrocklin consignment at the 2023 March Sale after breezing in 20.4. (Under Tack video)
At Oaklawn Park Jan. 25, Speed King (Volatile – Athenian Beauty, by Corinthian) led a 1-2 finish for OBS Grads when he bested Sandman to score a gate-to-wire victory in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) for owner Ted Bowman of Triton Thoroughbreds. Speed King was purchased by Triton Thoroughbreds for $100,000 out of the A.G Sale consignment at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training.
On Jan. 24, Golden Vekoma (Vekoma – Sticks Wondergirl, by Stevie Wonderboy)earned his first grade/group victory when he annexed the UAE 2000 Guineas S. (G3), winning the 1,600-meter race by two lengths at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai for owner Mohammed Ahmad Ali Al Subousi. Golden Vekoma was purchased by Harmash Racing for $90,000 from the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training from the Grassroots Training and Sales consignment.
Other stakes winners on the weekend included The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso – Call to Service, by To Honor and Serve) taking the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes at Oaklawn Park Jan. 25 for owners Peter Proscia (Paradise Farms Corp.) and David Staudacher. The Wine Steward was purchased for $340,000 by trainer Mike Maker from the Sequel Bloodstock consignment at the 2023 March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale (Under Tack Video).
At Turfway Park Jan. 25, Lithe Spirit (Speightstown – Spooky Woods, by Ghostzapper) won the $125,000 Wishing Well Stakes for an ownership group that includes Bradley Thoroughbreds, Gainesway Stable, et al. The filly was purchased by Bradley Thoroughbreds for $485,000 from the Scanlon Training & Sales consignment at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training (Under Tack Video).
Speedway Stables’ Cavalieri (Nyquist-Stiffed, by Stephen Got Even) headlined the list of stakes-winning Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company graduates this past week when she captured the $100,000 La Canada Stakes (G3) by 1 ½-lengths at Santa Anita Park Jan. 19 to remain unbeaten in three career starts.
The 4-year-old dark bay filly trained by Bob Baffert was purchased by Speedway for $900,000 from the Wavertree Stables consignment at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training after she breezed in 20.2. (Walk Video/Under Tack Video)
Cavalieri (Benoit Photo)
“Coming into the race, with the way she has been training, we knew we were going to have fun with her,” Baffert told the Santa Anita publicity department of Cavalieri. “She is maturing, and she is a big, beautiful stout mare. If we can keep her healthy, we will have a lot of fun with her this year.”
Other OBS graduates to notch stakes wins included Stir Crazy (Vancouver (AUS)-Mentally Unstable, by Good Reward) who, rallied to a 5 3/4 length victory in the $100,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Jan. 18 at Fair Grounds. Owned by Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher, Stir Crazy was purchased by Angelico’s Racing for $35,000 from consignor Paul Sharp out of the 2020 OBS July Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale after breezing in 10.2. (Under Tack Video).
Tom Kagele and Ernest Marchosky’s Kale’s Angel(Complexity-Love Affair, by Malibu Moon) survived a stewards’ inquiry to win the $150,000 Renaissance Stakes Jan. 18 at Oaklawn Park. Kale’s Angel was purchased for $150,000 by Kagele Bros. & Peter Miller from the McKathan Bros. Sales consignment at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training after breezing in 9.4.
At Laurel Park on Jan. 18, Morici Racing Stable’s Ms. Bucchero (Bucchero-Give Glory to God, by Mutakddim) captured the $100,000 What A Summer Stakes, her second stakes win in a row. Ms. Bucchero was an RNA from the consignment of Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds at the 2022 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training after breezing in 10.0. (Under Tack Video)
At Sunland Park on Jan. 17, West Point Thoroughbreds’ veteran runner Jaxon Traveler (Munnings-Listen Boy, by After Market) notched his 13th win in his 35th career start when he took the $75,000 Ft. Bliss Stakes. Jaxon Traveler was purchased for $140,000 by West Point Thoroughbreds from the Grassroots Training & Sales consignment at the 2020 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training after breezing in 10.0. (Under Tack Video)
The slate of stakes races at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 11 saw a pair of Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company graduates earn victories on the day.
The $150,000-guaranteed Pasco Stakes featured some drama as Mr. Pug LLC and J.P.G. 2 LLC’s Naughty Rascal (Rogueish – Baby Doll, by Smarty Jones) was elevated to victory via disqualification. The bay colt was purchased for $39,000 by JPG2 from the consignment of De Meric Sales out of the 2024 OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training after working in 10 flat. Naughty Rascal previously sold to Silvestre Avila for $22,000 from the consignment of Boutte Sales at the 2023 OBS Winter Mixed Sale.
“My horse ran his race, but I think he’ll get much better going around two turns,” said trainer Gerald Bennett, who told the Tampa Bay Downs publicity team he hopes to bring Florida-bred Naughty Rascal back for the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 8.
In the Skyway Festival Day companion stakes for 3-year-old fillies, the $150,000 guaranteed Gasparilla Stakes, Dancing Magic (Good Magic – I’ll Take the Cake, by Nobiz Like Shobiz) staged a whirlwind rally to prevail by two lengths. Owned by Mellon Patch, Inc., Dancing Magic was purchased by George Mellon for $270,000 from consignor Gene Recio at the 2024 March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training after working in 10.1.
Mag Racing LLC’s G W’s Girl (Munnings – Essence of Audre, by Exchange Rate) rated off the pace in the early going of Oaklawn’s $150,000 Mockingbird Stakes, swung out in the lane to go after fellow OBS graduate Shisospicy (Mitole – Mischief Galore, by Into Mischief), caught her in deep stretch and was best by a length. It’s the first stakes win for the newly turned 3-year-old Florida-bred filly by Munnings, purchased for $130,000 out of the Triple J Equine Sales consignment at the 2024 OBS March Sale after turning in an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat. Now 3-2-0-0 for trainer Greg Compton, she has earned $110,475. breeze/walk video
A total of four horses who are graduates of Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company auctions were announced as finalists for the 2024 Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards, which honors excellence in Thoroughbred racing.
Chancer McPatrick (NYRA Photo)
OBS graduates made up two of the three finalists in the category of Champion 2-Year-Old Male. Flanagan Racing’s Chancer McPatrick garnered support on the strength of a juvenile campaign that saw the son of McKinzie win three of four starts including the Hopeful (G1) and Champagne Stakes (G1). Chancer McPatrick was purchased for $725,000 at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training by Kimmel & Sallusto, agent from the consignment of Caliente Thoroughbreds.
Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman’s Gaming was also announced as a finalist for Champion 2-Year-Old Male. The son of Game Winner won two of four starts last year including a victory in the Del Mar Futurity (G1), which preceded his runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). Gaming was purchased for $250,000 at the 2024 OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training by Three Amigos from the Pick View consignment.
Michael Lund Petersen’s multiple Grade 1 winner Adare Manor is a finalist for Champion Older Dirt Female following a campaign that saw the daughter of Uncle Mo win three of four starts in 2024 including graded stakes victories in the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1), Santa Margarita Stakes (G2), and Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1). Adare Manor was purchased for $375,000 by Donato Lanni at the 2021 OBS June Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale from the consignment of Julie Davies. (Under Tack Video)
Clark Brewster and William and Corinne Heiligbrodt’s Cogburn is among the finalists for Champion Male Sprinter. The son of Not This Time won three of four starts in 2024 with the highlight being his record-setting triumph in the Jaipur Stakes (G1) last June. Cogburn was purchased for $150,000 by Brewster at the 2021 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training from the Pick View consignment. (Walk Video/ Under Tack Video)
The Eclipse Awards are voted upon by the NTRA, represented by member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, NTWAB, and Daily Racing Form, and are produced by the NTRA. Finalists were determined in each category by voters’ top three selections, using a 10-5-1 point basis. Eclipse Award winners are determined solely by first-place votes.
Winners in each category will be announced at the 54th Annual Eclipse Awards ceremony to be held Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025 at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida.
Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s Casalu (Caracaro – Key d’Oro, by Medaglia d’Oro) rallied to take charge of Santa Anita’s $100,000 Blue Norther Stakes at the top of the stretch and cruised to victory by a length and a half, with fellow OBS graduate Schilflied (Mendelssohn – Part of the Charm, by Tapit) closing to finish second. It’s the first stakes win for the 2-year-old graded stakes placed daughter of Caracaro, purchased for $775,000 out of the Global Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale after speeding an Under Tack quarter in: 20 2/5. Trained by Bob Baffert, she’s now 7-2-2-1 and has earned $174,546. breeze/walk video
Bank Frenzy Chelsea Durand phto
OBS grads also ran one-two in Aqueduct’s $100,00 Alex M. Robb Stakes, with LSU Stables’ Bank Frenzy (Central Banker – Storm Now, by Tiznow) chasing Doc Sullivan (Solomini – Queen Frostine, by Giant’s Causeway) down the stretch and catching him at the wire, scoring by a nose. It’s the second stakes victory for the 4-year-old son of Central Banker, consigned to the 2022 OBS Spring Sale by Sequel Bloodstock, Agent for Chester & Mary Broman, and sold for $110,000 after breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 2/5. Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, he’s now 14-6-5-0 and has earned $424,170. watch his under tack videoSpring Sale walking video
A pair of OBS graduates trained by Doug O’Neill win graded stakes on Opening Day at Santa Anita.
Raging Torrent Benoit photo
Great Friends Stable and Mark Davis’ Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief – Violent Wave, by Violence) pressed the pace from the start of the $300,500 Malibu Stakes (G1), took charge in the stretch and eased away to score by 1-1/4 lengths. It’s the third stakes win for the 3-year-old colt by Maximus Mischief, consigned by Randy Bradshaw, Agent, to the 2023 OBS Spring Sale, and sold for $75,000 after turning in Under Tack eighth in :10 flat. Now 10-5-1-2 for trainer Doug O’Neill, he exits the race with $667,400 in earnings. watch his under tack video
J B Strikes Back Benoit photo
Purple Rein Racing’s J B Strikes Back (Goldencents – Allanah, by Scat Daddy) turned for home battling for the lead in the $200,000 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes (G2), took control a furlong from home and was best by a length and a quarter at the wire. It’s the first stakes win for the 3-year-old son of OBS graduate Goldencents, trained by Doug O’Neill, now 9-4-0-0 with $191,660 in earnings. Consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent, to the 2023 OBS March Sale, he was sold for $52,000 after breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5. watch his under tack videoMarch Sale walking video
C2 Racing Stable LLC and Stefania Farms, LLC’s Mystic Lake (Mo Town – Salty Soul) stalked the leaders in Saturday’s $140,00 Sugar Swirl Stakes at Gulfstream, went after them on the turn, took over a furlong out and prevailed by three quarters of a length. It’s the fifth stakes victory for the 3-year-old graded stakes winning Florida-bred filly by Mo Town, trained by Saffie A. Joseph, Jr., now 13-6-3-1 with $901,354 in earnings. She’s a two-time OBS graduate, sold by Summerfield (Francis & Barbara Vanlangendonck), Agent, at the 2022 October Yearling Sale and then purchased for $130,000 out of the Tom McCrocklin consignment at the 2023 March Sale after turning in an Under Tack quarter in :20 4/5. watch her under tack videoMarch Sale walking video
OBS graduates scored five stakes wins on Saturday at Fair Grounds.
Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s Stir Crazy (Vancouver (AUS) – Mentally Unstable) was half a length better than fellow OBS graduate Join the Dance (Shackleford – Moondancer) and captured the $100,000 Blushing K. D. Stakes. It’s the first stakes win for the 6-year-old daughter of Vancouver (AUS), consigned by Paul Sharp, Agent, to the 2020 OBS June Sale and sold for $35,000 after breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 2/5. She’s trained by Mike Maker and has compiled a 25-6-9-3 record and earned $468,354. watch her under tack video
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’) Built (Hard Spun – Sea Garden, by Curlin jumped from a maiden win in October to the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes with the greatest of ease, romping to a 6-3/4 length wire to wire victory. Wayne Catalano trains the 2-year-old colt by Hard Spun, now 3-2-0-1 with $124,204 earnings. At the 2024 OBS Spring Sale, he sped an Under Tack eighth in :9 4/5 and was purchased for $200,000 out of the Harris Training Center consignment. breeze/walk video
Charles K. Marquis’ Bear River (Flameaway – Sixtyfivenorth) took the lead at the start of the $100,000 Richard R. Scherer Memorial Stakes and never looked back en route to a 2-1/4 length victory. It’s the second stakes win for the 3-year-old son of Flameaway, trained by Keith Desormeaux, now 18-5-0-2 with $383,848 in earnings. At the 2023 OBS June Sale, he turned in an Under Tack eighth in :10 2/5 and was purchased for $50,000 out of the Randy Miles consignment. watch his under tack video
FMQ Stables’ Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming – New Narration) rated just off the pace in the $100,000 Tenacious Stakes, took over in the lane and cruised to a two length victory. That’s four stakes wins for the 4-year-old son graded stakes winning son of Always Dreaming, consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent, to the 2022 OBS Spring Sale and sold for $240,000 after turning in an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat. He’s trained by Brad Cox and has compiled a 12-6-2-1 career record and earned $3,130,985. watch his under tack videoSpring Sale walking video
S.O.K. Racing, Gervais Racing, LLC, On Our Own Stable LLC, Zak Stables and Dallas Stewart’s Tough Catch (Complexity – Try to Catch Her), led a 1-2-3 OBS sweep of the $100,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes, taking the lead after turning for home and holding off a late charge by Doroteo ( Bolt d’Oro – Place Card), with Indian Cat (Tapiture – Party Cat) settling for third. It’s the first stakes victory for the 2-year-old colt by Complexity, consigned to the 2024 OBS Spring Sale by Longoria Training and Sales and selling for $280,000 after breezing an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat. The winner, trained by Dallas Stewart, is now 5-2-2-0 and has earned $201,200. breeze/walk video
OBS Spotlight is an occasional series highlighting OBS sales graduates, consignors, buyers, and breeders
By Alicia Hughes, Director of Communications
One of the things the late businessman B. Wayne Hughes loved to remind people of when discussing the successes Spendthrift Farm achieved under his helm was the fact he was guided as much by hope and chance as he was by fact and reason.
For all the studying of pedigrees and nicks and past performance lines and conformation, Hughes knew that gut instinct and feeling could play just as crucial a role in finding the next standout Thoroughbred athlete. And at the 2007 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, the Spendthrift owner and his team saw something in a son of Harlan’s Holiday they decided was worth taking a chance on.
The colt’s pedigree at that moment in time was not of the commercial sort, nor did it scream obvious ability for on track success. He didn’t blow anyone out of the water with his presence on the end of the lead shank, but once the bay youngster got to stretching himself out during his under-tack showcase, a certain potential flashed itself and convinced Hughes there could be more to unearth.
“The one phrase Mr. Hughes loved to use when talking about the horse business and all its different aspects was, nobody knows,” Spendthrift Farm general manager Ned Toffey said of the man who purchased the farm in 2004 and established it as an industry leader prior to his passing 2021. “Which stallion is going to be the next big stallion? Which yearling is going to be the big racehorse? At the end of the day nobody knows.
“Into Mischief is the embodiment of that.”
Known then as Hip 22 in the OBS catalog, the horse who would become the manifestation of the Thoroughbred industry’s biggest aspirations sold to Hughes for $180,000 out of the M&H Training and Sales consignment. Seventeen years after teasing his ability on the OBS grounds, Into Mischief now stands as one of the great bargains in public auction history as well as the benchmark generations of stallions will be aiming to match.
Since entering the Spendthrift stud barn in 2009, Into Mischief has repeatedly forced the commercial industry to find higher stratospheres for him to exist in. With the 2024 racing season winding down, the bay stallion is poised to collect yet another milestone as he will lead the North American general sire list for a sixth consecutive year.
Coming into this season, Into Mischief was already breathing rarified air as he was tied with Bull Lea and Nasrullah for the second most general sire titles in the last century, trailing only Bold Ruler’s mark of eight. On the strength of the exploits of offspring like Laurel River, winner of this year’s $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1), 2024 saw Into Mischief become the first stallion to surpass $30 million in progeny earnings in a single year with more than $33.9 million as of Dec. 19.
He is set to have his sixth Eclipse Award champion in Citizen Bull as the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner is favored to take home divisional honors. With his triumph at Del Mar in November, Citizen Bull also became his sire’s eighth career Breeders’ Cup winner, putting Into Mischief in a four-way tie atop the World Championship’s all-time sire list by victories.
He became the first stallion to have consecutive Kentucky Derby (G1) winners with 2020 Horse of the Year and fellow Spendthrift sire, Authentic, and adjudicated 2021 Derby victor Mandaloun. And with the success of sons like Ashford Stud’s Practical Joke and fellow OBS graduate and Spendthrift stallion Goldencents – who currently rank 11th and 12th, respectively, on the general sire list – Into Mischief is also checking off the hallowed mark of becoming a sire of sires.
That his name would end up at or near the top of nearly every meaningful achievement in the stallion ranks is all the more remarkable when reflecting on his diamond-in-the-rough background. In the span of :10.2 seconds over the OBS track, a future game-changer was able to catch the eye of those astute enough to see beyond the surface.
“He was a good individual, but not a great individual from a conformation standpoint. His breeze is what stood out, just that he did it so well with a great gallop out,” Toffey recalled of Into Mischief’s pre-sale work. “He was bought really to a great deal on the strength of his breeze. If you turn back the clock and look at his pedigree, it didn’t look anything like it does today. It was a very different looking page than what it is today.
“So top and bottom it wasn’t a slam dunk pedigree, but again it was just the combination of the strength of his breeze that attracted us. And since that time, that pedigree has filled in pretty dramatically.”
Had his achievements ended with only his racing success, Into Mischief would have justified Hughes’ faith. In six career starts, he was never worse than second and earned his biggest victory when he annexed the 2007 Grade 1 CashCall Futurity in his third career outing.
Even with a top-level triumph on his resume, his path to greatness in the stud barn was something that had to be built brick by weighty brick. The stalwart reputation his sire Harlan’s Holiday would ultimately earn was still being established and his dam Leslie’s Lady was years out from her eventual distinction as a blue hen, the result of her going on to produce champion Beholder and Grade 1 winner Mendelssohn.
Hence, when the time came for Into Mischief to try and impress the buying public once more, he again found himself overlooked by a majority of those in the bloodstock game.
“People would ask in the beginning, you know, ‘What type of mares are you’re looking for, for Into Mischief?’, and we were like ‘One that would fog a mirror’,” said Spendthrift stallion sales manager Mark Toothaker, who joined the farm in 2012. “We weren’t looking for anything except just mares to try to get him as many foals out there as we possibly could.”
Into Mischief at Spendthrift Farm (Nicole Finch/Spendthrift photo)
Self-Made Man
A commonality many top racehorses share is an innate knowledge of when to get their proverbial game face on. With Into Mischief, Toffey recalls the bay runner would practically undergo a full-on transformation from the time he left the barn to the time he would enter the starting gate.
“Into Mischief was a horse who when it was time to go to a race, when it was time to get in the paddock, he knew what was coming and he would – like a lot of good horses do – he would blow himself up,” Toffey said. “If you saw him just on a Wednesday at the barn on the toe ring, you wouldn’t really think a heck of a lot, but he would look like a different animal in the paddock before the race and going out on the track.
“I saw that version of Into Mischief and I thought, man this horse is going to be a slam dunk, he’s going to be easy to sell seasons in when he gets to the farm. Well, a couple months later, he shows up at the farm and he gets off the van and I’m thinking ‘Where is the rest of him?’.”
Indeed, when Into Mischief was retired in December 2008 following his runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes, attracting breeders to the first-year sire proved anything but straightforward. After struggling to get support during that initial season when he stood for $12,500, Hughes got creative and came with Spendthrift’s now signature innovative initiative known as “Share the Upside” in which breeders are offered a lifetime breeding right should they complete two “stands and nurses” contracts during his first two years at stud.
“Very much the origins of Share the Upside stemmed from the question of how are we going to get people to breed to Into Mischief the second year, a horse who we had limited success getting numbers to him in year one,” Toffey said. “It was like, if year one was this tough, what is year two going to be like? We had to come up with something. We came up with the idea out of a need. When you’re doing that sort of thing, you really are in a position where you are taking anything you can get.”
By 2012, Into Mischief’s fee had dipped to $7,500 and the notion he would one day stand for the $250,000 he currently commands seemed fantastical at best. Just as his quality showed itself when it counted on the track, so too did it bubble up when his first crop began flaunting their own competitive ability.
Despite the less-than-commercial nature of his early books, Into Mischief delivered a shot across the bow with his first runners. Months after selling at the 2012 OBS June auction, Goldencents became his sire’s first graded stakes winner when he took the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes that November. When the future multiple Grade 1 winner prevailed again in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes to kick off his sophomore campaign on Jan. 5, 2013, another son of Into Mischief in Vyjack also notched a graded win when he annexed the Jerome Stakes (G2) that same afternoon.
He would end 2012 ranked third on the freshman sire list and filling his book began to become an issue of demand rather than desperation. Both Vyjack and Goldencents would go on to start in the 2013 edition of the Kentucky Derby (G1) and from there, the momentum in the Spendthrift stud barn never stopped.
Fittingly, Goldencents would again be the dutiful son by becoming the first Breeders’ Cup winner sired by Into Mischief when he took the Dirt Mile (G1) in both 2013 and 2014. By the time the brilliant filly Covfefe added to that total by winning the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) in 2019, she would help backstop her now indominable father to his first reign atop the general sire list.
“I remember when I first went over to Spendthrift, it was very much in the beginning days for him and every year, a little deal pops up on my Facebook page where I was trying to say anything good about Into Mischief,” Toothaker said. “It’s hilarious now, because what I had said was, ‘He had a maiden special weight winner, and he had one running in a stake this coming weekend’. That was my highlight of anything that I could say for him back then.
“It’s comical today because it’s just crazy the success that he’s had. It’s been amazing to watch, because I’ve been able to be there the whole time and to not only see his stud fee go up year after year, but to dominate the way he’s been doing. It’s unimaginable where he’s gone – from Book Seven to Book One basically in the mare quality – and his offspring have been productive citizens for a long time. There will never be another Into Mischief I don’t think during my lifetime.”
Into Mischief at Spendthrift Farm (Nicole Finch/Spendthrift photo)
The Best is Yet to Come
Given he proved from the start he could move up any kind of mare, it is little wonder Into Mischief continued to raise the bar once he was bred to partners who are proven in bloodlines and produce records. With the quality of his books become more and more illustrious, it stands to reason that the best of his offspring is still coming down the pipeline and that his general sire title run may well be on record-setting course.
“He’s got some tremendous crops coming so it’s going to continue to be very, very strong,” Toffey said. “One of the exciting things for me is in recent years, we’ve starting to use him ourselves more and more. Some of these special mares that we’ve bought like (champion) Monomoy Girl have gone to Into Mischief a couple times. When he was breeding small books, his percentages were through the roof. No horse is going to be able to maintain those kinds of percentages when the books get much bigger but he’s doing a remarkable job of coming as close to that as a horse can. That’s why he’s going on six years in a row as leading sire because he’s such a high percentage horse and always has been.”
From a statistical standpoint, the odds were not in Spendthrift’s favor when they added Into Mischief to the list of juveniles they secured at that 2007 OBS sale. Among Hughes’ many hallmarks, however, were the fact he wasn’t afraid to take a chance and stand on his conviction.
And what he saw on the sales grounds from the son of Harlan’s Holiday has not only established unprecedented industry standards but also solidified why hope remains the vibrant heartbeat of the commercial marketplace.
“Wayne was such a positive thinker, and I can remember him saying at one point in (Into Mischief’s) career ‘We might have Bold Ruler on our hands’, and I was like ‘Yeah, that’s nice’. But that turned out to be the case,” Toffey said. “He has demonstrated his consistency, his brilliance, he can move mares up and he can take the top mares and have the same kind of results.
OBS graduates took a pair of stakes wins on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs
NIc’s Style SV Photography
Stephen Rousseau’s Nic’s Style (Uncaptured – Sense When) tracked the leaders from the inside in the $100,000 FTBOA City Of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes, battled to the lead a furlong out and was best by 2-1/2 lengths at the wire. That’s two straight stakes wins for the 4-year-old Florida-bred graded stakes placed daughter of Uncaptured, purchased by Stephen Rousseau for $25,000 out of the Summerfield consignment at the 2021 October Yearling Sale. She’s trained by Bill Mott and is now 6-5-1-0 with $328,400 in earnings.
Big Martini SV Photography
Daniel L. Walters and Dennis G. Smith’s Big Martini (The Big Beast – Dirty Martini) scored his first stakes win with a frontrunning two length victory in in the $100,000 FTBOA Marion County Florida Sire Stakes. Rohan Crichton trains the 4-year-old Florida-bred son of The Big Beast, now 18-4-6-2 with $268,308 in earnings. He’s a two-time OBS graduate, sold first at the 2021 Winter Mixed Sale and then purchased for $87,000 out of the Blue River Bloodstock consignment at the 2022 June Sale after turning in an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5. watch his under tack videoJune Sale walking video
Stonestreet Stables LLC and Peter Leidel’s Blue Fire (Aurelius Maximus – Mystic Blue) went to the front in Saturday’s $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Lassie Stakes at Fair Grounds, was headed from the inside past the eighth pole, then came again to score by a head. It’s the first stakes victory for the 2-year-old daughter of Aurelius Maximus, trained by Steve Asmussen, now 3-2-0-0 with $95,120 in earnings. She was purchased for $32,000 out of the Kaizen Sales consignment at the 2023 OBS Winter Mixed Sale.