The past 12 months have seen Spendthrift Farm's flagship sire Into Mischief achieve just about everything a stallion needs to do in order to be considered a major commercial sire.
Let's go down the list:
Breeders' Cup winner? Check.
Eclipse Awards? Covfefe got him two for good measure.
Leading sire title? He earned his first at the end of 2019.
Classic winner? Authentic went from the outside post to the history books earlier this month.
With that kind of momentum behind him, the next step was to have a big showing at this year's Keeneland September yearling sale. Another box, another check.
During Monday's session alone, Into Mischief had three yearlings bring seven-figure prices, adding to the one he hammered down on Sunday's opening day of trade. His four total seven-figure offerings tied him with Medaglia d'Oro for the most by a sire at Keeneland September through the end of Book 1. Prior to this year, his million-dollar yearling club consisted of a single horse.
If there was any remaining doubt that Into Mischief has earned his place among the the very top echelon of North America's commercial sires, it was pulverized with every seven-figure fall of the hammer.
“It's just building on what he's done,” said Spendthrift Farm general manager Ned Toffey. “He's always been a commercial horse, but when you win the Derby and you show people that you're able to get a classic horse, which was sort of the only question left unanswered with him, this has just given people that much more confidence to go out and ante up for a really nice Into Mischief. That's great news for us, it's great news for our breeders, and we couldn't be happier with it.”
The leader of the pack for Into Mischief through the end of Book 1 at the Keeneland September sale was Hip 438, a filly out of the Grade 2-placed stakes-winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Taylor S who sold to Larry Best's OXO Equine on Monday for $1.9 million, the second-highest overall price for both the day and the sale.
Taylor S is a half-sister to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Liam's Map and Grade 3 winner Not This Time, who have both gotten off to fast starts as stallions. Taylor Made Sales Agency consigned the top filly, as agent.
It was the second Into Mischief yearling Best purchased at the sale, after landing Hip 121, a colt out of the Grade 2-placed Cuvee mare Curlina, for $1 million on Sunday. He was handled by Gainesway, agent.
Elsewhere, Courtlandt Farm bought Hip 275, a filly out of the stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Mary Rita, while BSW/Crow Bloodstock landed Hip 405, a filly out of the Unbridled's Song mare Special Me whose siblings include Grade 1 winner Gift Box and Grade 2 winner Stonetastic. Both yearlings were purchased for $1,025,000.
The performance by Into Mischief's yearlings during the Keeneland September sale carries on the momentum set last week during the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase, where he had 17 yearlings sell for a combined $6,745,000, led by a colt out of the Distorted Humor mare Blind Copy who sold to the partnership of SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables for $800,000.
Had the yearling season ended after just the two days of the Fasig-Tipton sale, Into Mischief's 2019 foal crop would have been the fourth-highest out of his 10 crops to reach the market by number of horses sold at upper price points ($750,000 and up, $500,000 and up, or $250,000 and up). After two more days of selling at the market's highest level, this season's crop of yearlings sits second or third in those three categories, with a solid chance of finishing the year safely in first across the board.
With 2020 being an unprecedented year in practically every aspect of the Thoroughbred industry, Into Mischief was also the beneficiary of arguably the biggest update a sire has ever received heading into the yearling season: Authentic's victory in the postponed Kentucky Derby, just days before selling began.
With that being said, Toffey said a Derby winner alone doesn't guarantee an immediate spike in returns.
“The 'Derby bump' doesn't happen without the stock out here that he's got,” he said. “As his stud fee has gone up, the mare quality has gotten better, the individuals have gotten better, and that just continues to happen.
“That's the thing that's been remarkable over the years – not every stallion improves as the mare quality improves, but he's continued to do that,” Toffey continued. “In his second year, his stud fee was as low as $6,500, and all the way right up to last year at $175,000, the mare quality continues to go up and the quality of the offspring just continues to look better, and they continue to perform better. We're just glad he's on our team.”
Into Mischief's average yearling sale price reflects the stallion's climb up the commercial ladder. His first crop of yearlings saw 26 members go through the ring in 2011 for an average price of $22,792.
A year later, his second crop had 13 yearlings average $21,269 from combined revenues of $276,500 – all their respective lowest points. Into Mischief's average yearling sale price in 2019 was greater than his combined second-crop gross from 2012, and he stands a good chance of surpassing that threshold for a second time this year, continuing a journey to the top of the marketplace that seemed like a pipe dream a decade ago.
“That's the great thing about this game,” Toffey said. “You're always hoping for the best, you're shooting for the stars, and most of the time, you don't get these kind of results. Horses like Into Mischief just don't come along very often. He's just been remarkable. We thought we had the horse of a lifetime with Malibu Moon, and we've got another one with Into Mischief.”
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In what is presumed to be the first hire of its kind, Little Red Feather Racing (LRF), California's largest horse racing syndicate, on Tuesday announced the hiring of an independent compliance consultant to oversee all aspects of its racing and sales divisions. The consultant will ensure that LRF's trainers, veterinarians, and staffs comply within regulatory rules as well as LRF's internal policies regarding training and medication.
“Many industries have compliance managers, why not horse ownership?” said LRF Managing Partner Gary Fenton. “We want our partners to have the utmost confidence and trust that our equine athletes receive world-class care.”
“It's time we take a long hard look at everything we provide to our equine athletes,” said LRF Founder and Managing Partner Billy Koch, “Current training practices need to evolve with changing times.”
Effective immediately, Tom McCrocklin will serve as compliance consultant for the LRF team and report directly to Fenton and Koch.
Born in Baton Rouge, La., McCrocklin has an undergraduate degree from LSU and a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science, specializing in equine from Louisiana Tech. McCrocklin trained at east coast race tracks until 1992 where he moved to Ocala, Fla., to commence a breaking/training/sales operation, representing some of the biggest names in the industry.
McCrocklin will review veterinarian and training bills as well as regularly visit each LRF barn. He will work alongside LRF's trainers and vets to create a universal set of protocols. “Since I am a trainer and understand the culture and mentality, I look forward to working with my colleagues to create a methodology that is positive for everyone,” said McCrocklin. “Most trainers want to learn and try less medications and supplements; they just need the educational and support tools to do so.”
“Too often we hear discussion about a problem in our industry, yet rarely is there a solution posed,” said Jim Gagliano, president of The Jockey Club. “Today is not that day. We applaud LRF for taking this innovative step and showing that owners can and will take measures to ensure best practices are being met within our industry.”
Formed in 2002, LRF and its sister company Solana Beach Sales (SBS) are California's largest syndicate, managing nearly 100 horses and over 300 active partners. LRF recently concluded a record breaking summer in 2020 with 11 wins at Del Mar from its managed partnerships, including wins in the G2 Del Mar Handicap – a Breeders' Cup Win and You're In race – with Red King, and the G2 John C Mabee Stakes with Raymundos Secret. LRF campaigned Breeders' Cup Winner Singletary and G1 winners Egg Drop, Secret Spice, Fault, Mirth and stallion Midnight Storm. SBS burst onto the sales scene in 2016 and graduates include G1 winners Instilled Regard, Bast and G1 placed Anneau D'Or who finished 2nd in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at the 2019 World Championships.
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Three wonderful but very different books have been selected by a panel of industry judges as finalists for the 14th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, honoring titles published in 2019. These include a unique collaboration of stories told by members of the racing community; an insider's look at the career of America's most recent Triple Crown winner; and the roller-coaster life story of a legendary European trainer.
The finalists are: “Better Lucky Than Good: Tall Tales and Straight Talk from the Backside of the Track,” by various authors, from Louisville Story Program, edited by Joe Manning; “Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory,” by Lenny Shulman, and “The Triumph of Henry Cecil: The Authorised Biography,” by Tony Rushmer.
These three exceptional books were selected from 15 high quality submissions and were evaluated based on “clarity and elegance” of writing, ability to entertain, and as always, with regard to what the late Dr. Ryan himself might have liked.
In a normal year, the Book Award process would have culminated this past April with a ceremony in the historic stallion barn at the Ryan family's Castleton Lyons, near Lexington, Ky. But this is not a normal year. From necessity, the Award timeline was altered and ultimately delayed in hopes that the global Covid-19 pandemic would ease, thus making an in-person winner's reception possible later in the year. That scenario looks increasingly doubtful. As of mid-August, plans for how to reveal and celebrate the winner remain in limbo. But whether done in person, in a Zoom-type setting, or by other means, announcement of the winner will likely be made sometime in November.
The Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award was established by the noted businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist in 2006 to honor the best books published in a given year on the subject of horse racing. Dr. Ryan attached to it a $10,000 winner's prize, making it one of the world's most lucrative literary awards. Winners have since included beautifully penned fictional novels and short story collections; well-researched biographies, both human and equine; in-depth sporting histories; and even a National Book Award recipient.
Stay tuned for further announcements. For additional information, contact Betsy Hager at bhager@castletonlyons.com.
Below are brief synopses of the three 2020 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award finalists, presented in alphabetical order by title.
Better Lucky Than Good: Tall Tales and Straight Talk from the Backside of the Track, by Louisville Story Program
A collaboration between the Louisville Story Program and members of the racing community, Better Lucky Than Good focuses on the citizens of Churchill Downs. LSP, founded in 2013 to tell previously unheard stories and oral histories, pulled together 32 self-told tales from often unseen and/or overlooked backstretch personnel—the all-important supporting cast that brings any racetrack to life. This unique soft-cover collection includes stories from a clocker, a security guard, a silks maker, a gap attendant, and a hotwalker, among many others, providing a seldom seen inside perspective of our sport.
Justify: 111 Days to Triple Crown Glory, by Lenny Shulman
Penned by a respected turf writer with a behind-the-scenes view, Justify chronicles in detail the meteoric rise of American racing's 13th and most recent Triple Crown hero, while also telling the stories of those who made him who he was—breeders John and Tanya Gunther, trainer Bob Baffert, and jockey Mike Smith. The Blood-Horse's Lenny Schulman had extensive inside access as he followed the story of the big red colt from early days to glory, and the result is masterful.
The Triumph of Henry Cecil, The Authorised Biography by Tony Rushmer
Sports journalist Tony Rushmer has penned a splendid biography of his friend, legendary British trainer Henry Cecil. Rushmer, who had years of personal access, focuses largely on the latter part of Cecil's storied life including good times and bad. The ten-time champion English trainer saddled 25 British classic winners and won important races all over the globe, but when diagnosed with cancer in 2006 he was written off by many as finished. Instead, in 2010-2011 Cecil unveiled the crowning achievement of his career in brilliant, unbeatable Frankel. This is the story of a life … of tragedy and scandals, honors and triumphs, and of a remarkable comeback by one of racing's rare talents.
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