Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
INTO MISCHIEF GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
Into Mischief has reigned as North America’s leading sire for four consecutive years, shattering records along the way. And now, the effects of his achievements will begin to exert a greater influence in the commercial arena, where the Spendthrift Farm stallion is already highly successful, as the foals conceived as a result of his sire titles are emerging.
Into Mischief claimed his first general sire title in 2019. As a result, his stud fee rose to $175,000 from $150,000 for the 2020 breeding season, and he garnered the stellar group of mares that would be expected for one of the country’s elite sires.
His 2020 book, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred, included the dams of previous or future champions Arrogate, Gamine, Hansen, Jackie’s Warrior, Mitole, Shanghai Bobby, and Wonder Wheel; the dams of Grade 1 winners including By the Moon, Cody’s Wish, Eskimo Kisses, Practical Joke, R Heat Lightning, and Verrazano; champions Groupie Doll and My Miss Aurelia; Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Blue Prize; and Canadian classic winners Dixie Strike and Wonder Gadot.
Other Grade 1 winners bred to Into Mischief in 2020 were Acoma, Artemis Agrotera, Birdatthewire, By the Moon, Constellation, Daisy Devine, Embellish the Lace, Hystericalady, I’m a Chatterbox, Iotapa, Marketing Mix, Miss Shop, Nereid, Paola Queen, Seventh Street, Star Billing, Sweet Lulu, and Turbulent Descent.
The resulting foals produced by that stellar book of mares are now juveniles of 2023. Not only are they candidates to be high-ticket offerings should they come to the sales ring, they help position Into Mischief to continue his success in the 2-year-old sire ranks.
Into Mischief claimed his fifth leading 2-year-old sire title in 2022, banking $4,803,602 in that category. He also claimed that title in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020. He was second on the list in 2021, as the whitehot Gun Runner set a juvenile earnings record of $4,315,980. Into Mischief’s 2022 earnings broke that record, with Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and champion Wonder
Wheel leading the way, along with graded stakes winners Hoosier Philly and Naughty Gal, stakes winners Dazzling Blue and Pretty Mischievous, graded stakes-placed Full Moon Madness and Newgate, and stakes-placed General Jim and Giant Mischief.
Meanwhile, after claiming his first title in 2019, Into Mischief has continued to dominate the general sire list, becoming the first stallion since the likes of Nasrullah and Bold Ruler to claim as many as four titles. He scored his second title in 2020, with Horse of the Year Authentic becoming his first American classic winner and helping him to break the single-season earnings record for a North American sire. Into Mischief broke his own record while leading in 2021 and 2022. His stud fee also has continued to climb, moving to $225,000 in 2021, and $250,000, where it remains, the next year. His continued success, and continued popularity in the breeding shed, have loaded his pipeline for years to come.
Meanwhile, Into Mischief has several promising sons at stud and could have an influence on this year’s 2-year-old market in that regard as well. His first two sons to stud, two-time Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Goldencents in 2015 at Spendthrift and multiple Grade 1 winner Practical Joke in 2018 at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud, were among the leading freshman sires of their classes, illustrating that valued precocity can be passed down multiple generations in this sireline.
Into Mischief has three sons with their first 2-year-olds coming to auction this season – Grade 1 winner Audible at WinStar Farm in Kentucky, Grade 2 winner Maximus Mischief at Spendthrift, and the winner Rogueish at Solera Farms in Florida. Audible had a six-figure first-crop yearling average in 2022 to rank among the leaders of his class, while both Audible and Maximus Mischief had some of the highest returns on investment from their introductory stud fees to their yearling average.