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Mr. Money Rides Rail To Victory In Ack Ack At Churchill Downs

Allied Racing Stable and Spendthrift Farm's 4-year-old Goldencents colt, Mr. Money, saved ground throughout under Gabriel Saez, coming from off the pace to win Saturday's Grade 3 Ack Ack Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Bourbon Calling finished second, with Thirstforlife third and Dinar fourth in the field of 13 older runners going a one-turn mile on a fast dirt tracksa. Mr. Money covered the distance in 1:34.85, a stakes record, and paid $14.80.

Mr. Money is trained by Bret Calhoun.

Warrior's Charge, the 6-5 favorite, broke from the rail and set a quick pace, going the opening quarter in :22.61 and half mile in :44.48. American Anthem and Pioneer Spirit applied pressure on the frontrunner as the field turned into the stretch after six furlongs in 1:09.11, with 65-1 shot Pioneer Spirit poking his nose in front briefly at the top of the stretch.

Mr. Money, never far back, found a perfect spot on the rail in the long run down the backstretch and never left the wood, going through an opening in the stretch when Warrior's Charge drifted out and hitting the front inside the furlong pole.

“We sat a perfect trip,” said Saez. “This horse hasn't had things go his way this year and showed us the real Mr. Money today.”

The victory was the first for Mr. Money in five starts this year. He put together a four-race win streak of Grade 3 stakes in 2019 – the Pat Day Mile, Matt Winn Stakes, Indiana Derby and West Virginia Derby – then was beaten a neck in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby before finishing seventh in the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Bred in Kentucky by Spruce Lane Farm, Mr. Money has now won six of 17 career starts.

“Gabe worked out a perfect trip on him,” said Calhoun. “I thought his last few tries weren't a fair assessment of who this horse is. He showed us who he was today. He loves this track and got to run out of his own stall.”

Calhoun said Mr. Money may make a second run in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, to be run at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

“Fingers crossed that will take us to the Breeders' Cup,” Allied Racing's Chester Thomas said. “We are so thrilled for this horse, Bret, his entire team and Gabe.”

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Authentic To Carry Silks Of Spendthrift Farm In Preakness Stakes

B. Wayne Hughes, whose Spendthrift Farm is majority owner in Authentic, wanted minority owner MyRacehorse's black and white silks to be worn by jockey John Velazquez in the Kentucky Derby (G1). Authentic carried those colors into the history books as the winner of the only Kentucky Derby not held in the spring. A month later, Authentic will wear Spendthrift's orange and purple silks in the first Preakness Stakes (G1) not held in the spring or summer.

“That will be a lot of fun, we'll look forward to that,” said Mark Toothaker, Spendthrift Farm's stallion sales manager who was on hand to watch Authentic and the Spendthrift co-owned Thousand Words work Saturday morning at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Authentic is a son of the red-hot Spendthrift stallion Into Mischief, whom Hughes raced. Into Mischief is out of the same mare, Leslie's Lady, as Hughes' four-time champion mare Beholder and Mendelssohn, a $3 million yearling campaigned by the partners in the Coolmore international stallion and racing conglomerate.

Spendthrift bought controlling interest in the racing and breeding rights to Authentic before the Santa Anita Derby (G1) from Starlight Racing, with Madaket Stable also a partner. As it turned out, the Santa Anita Derby is Authentic's only defeat to date in six starts, with the wins including Santa Anita's Sham (G3) and San Felipe (G2) and Monmouth Park's Haskell Invitational (G1).

“We felt like this was a horse who had a real chance to win the Derby,” Toothaker said of the purchase. “We thought, 'The timing is great. Let's try to get something done for Spendthrift and Mr. Hughes.' The team was able to put this offer together with Mr. Hughes' blessing and get it done.”

Hughes, meanwhile, had bought into MyRacehorse, founded by Michael Behrens, both financially and by embracing the concept of making micro-shares in racehorses available to the general public for just a couple hundred bucks each.

“I'll have to say there were a few of us kind of grinding our teeth a little bit when Mr. Hughes wanted to run in MyRacehorse's silks,” Toothaker said. “I made the pitch that 'Wayne you've done so much for the game, this is going to be something for history that is going to hang in the Derby Museum.' ”

However, Hughes, a billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, felt strongly that MyRacehorse's concept could be a game-changer. The result is that Authentic surely set a record for the most owners in a Kentucky Derby winner, with 5,314 investors owning 12,500 shares in MyRacehorse.com's 12 1/2-percent stake in the colt. Each share in Authentic cost $206 for 1/1,000th of the horse, both for racing and breeding.

“He feels it will re-energize the racetracks and get people coming,” Toothaker said, adding of the 86-year-old Hughes, “Wayne grew up in an era when there were tons of people going to the races at Santa Anita. He feels like MyRacehorse gives that opportunity back to racing, that people will return, they'll come. There's nothing like having a horse running, bringing friends and family with them. It's not just one person who signs up for a micro-share; it's all their family that comes with them to the track. His vision is that over time it will explode attendance back to the racetrack as people take part on this. We've been very active at the sale buying another group of yearlings with MyRacehorse that folks will have a chance to participate in — and hopefully see them in the winner's circle.”

The Derby proved a rollercoaster for Spendthrift, which also is partners with Albaugh Family Racing in $1 million yearling Thousand Words. Out of the blue, Spendthrift went from two to one entrant when Thousand Words flipped in the paddock after becoming unruly, with assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes fracturing his wrist in the melee and missing the Derby while going to the emergency room.

“It was just the craziest half-hour you could ever imagine,” Toothaker said. “I actually walked over (from the backstretch to the paddock) with Thousand Words because of the Albaughs. They were in town, they're our partner on that horse. We bought him together as a yearling. So I knew MyRacehorse representatives were walking over with Authentic. To see (Thousand Words) in the paddock, he didn't want to be saddled. I feel terrible for Jimmy, when the horse flipped over Jimmy had to have nine screws put in his arm, putting him back together. You're just sad that 20 minutes before the Derby you don't get a chance to run. It was heart-breaking. You're in the paddock, a little bit stunned that happened. Everybody was just in a fog.

“As we walked through the tunnel onto the track, I told our general manager, Ned Toffey, 'You know, if there are any Derby gods looking down upon us after Thousand Words flipping, maybe he'll give Authentic a little push around there and get us to the winner's circle.' And, boy, I'll tell you what, it sure did.”

While historic Spendthrift Farm had previously stood the sire of Derby winners, Authentic is its first as the owner. In the case of Authentic, Spendthrift is owner of the Derby winner and his dad, the farm's stallion Into Mischief.

“When I saw the opening fractions of 22-and-change, I was very, very worried, knowing you've got to go a mile and a quarter,” Toothaker said. “Certainly as they turned for home, I saw Manny Franco look over his right shoulder. I thought, 'Boy, he's probably loaded on Tiz the Law.' And you hear the announcer give the big call on Mr. Big News, that he's rolling around horses on the outside. You're just looking to see how much fight you have down the stretch.

“Really, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking can we just hang on here to hit the board. When Johnny kind of hit him left-handed, he gave him so much effort down the stretch. It was just a thrill, going from being so depressed in the paddock with Thousand Words to seeing Authentic win. It was the biggest rocket ship of emotions in that 20 minutes there that you can ever imagine. And then thinking of Mr. Hughes and all he's meant to all of our team at Spendthrift and he was able to win that elusive Kentucky Derby was as good as it gets.”

Well, it actually has gotten better. The Derby victory further boosted Into Mischief as a stallion, with five of his yearlings fetching at least $1 million at Keeneland's September yearling sale.

“People questioned whether he could have a horse win a classic, and now he [Into Mischief] checked that box off,” Toothaker said. “It wasn't very many years ago that he was averaging $21,000 per yearling. And after the first two books (of the Keeneland sale), he's averaging $500,000. Into Mischief has climbed the ladder of stallion success, and it's put him in a whole other stratosphere now.”

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$1-Million Into Mischief Colt Tops Thursday At Keeneland September Yearling Sale

Keeneland's fourth session of the September Yearling Sale on Thursday recorded active commerce among a number of the industry's major buyers and featured the sale of an Into Mischief colt to Peter Leidel for $1 million.

Keeneland sold 195 yearlings during today's session for $34,507,000, for an average of $193,554 and a median of $160,000. Cumulatively, 589 horses have grossed $160,583,000, for an average of $272,637 and a median of $200,000.

With the top-priced yearling on Thursday, a total of 15 horses have sold for $1 million or more.

“Very exciting finish today,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said. “To have three individuals bidding all the way to the million-dollar mark was very exciting. There was a lot of depth to the market. As we have said before, it is very selective. The people who should be here and looking at the horses and making the decisions are here, and we are very happy that they are committed to this industry.”

The session topper, a half-brother to stakes winner Cambria, is out of Grade 2 winner Teen Pauline, by Tapit. He was consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised.

“He is a lovely horse – ticked all the boxes as they say. Has a great walk,” said Hunter Simms, Partner and Director of Bloodstock Services for Warrendale. “The Into Mischiefs have been on fire at this sale and on the race track. Stonestreet did a nice job prepping him, and he showed himself well at the barn. He is a classy animal. Stonestreet has been very supportive of us over the years, and we greatly appreciate it. We have had good success for them.”

Donato Lanni, agent for SF/Starlight/Madaket, paid $775,000 for a colt by Quality Road consigned by Candy Meadows Sales, agent. The colt is out of Sustainable, a stakes-placed daughter of Forestry who is a half-sister to stakes winner Culotte, and is from the family of Grade 1 winner Famous Digger.

“He's a Quality Road – a great stallion,” Tom Ryan of SF said. “We're just starting to see the cream rising to the top now with him. Just think of what he's accomplished already; the future's so bright for him.”

“We're delighted,” Candy Meadows Senior Vice President and COO Matt Lyons said. “He's a lovely horse and a homebred for the farm. We didn't have any horses in Book 1 so this is our first group here. We've waited all day for him, and there were some very good judges of horseflesh on him.

“You have groups looking to buy two-turn Derby-type horses, and there are a lot of people looking for that type of horse,” Lyons added. “When they all land on the same one, they can bring an exceptional price. The group that bought him obviously know how to win the big races so that's great for us having the mare at home and having siblings coming. He'll be trained by Mr. (Bob) Baffert, and he knows how to win the big races, too.”

Lanni, agent for SF/Starlight/Madaket, was the session's leading buyer, acquiring five horses for $1,660,000.

“It's been a busy sale for us,” Ryan said. “Keeneland assembled a great group of horses here, and good horses are hard to buy.”

Warrendale, agent for Sandra Sexton and Silver Fern Farm, sold the session-topping filly, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Hog Creek Hustle, to Solis/Litt for $725,000. The daughter of Constitution out of the Candy Ride mare Candy Fortune also is a half-sister to stakes winner Majestic Dunhill.

“She was just beautiful,” Warrendale owner Kitty Taylor said. “I sold her for some long-standing clients of mine who are very dear friends, Sandra Sexton and Silver Fern Farm. We sold Hog Creek Hustle and Majestic Dunhill. (This filly) was vetted so much and handled it so well. She went to a great place with LNJ Foxwoods. Alex (Solis) and Jason (Litt) bought her for them.”

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Shadwell Estate Company Ltd. paid $675,000 for a colt by Into Mischief who is a half-brother to champion Runhappy. He was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised.

“Very nice colt,” said Rick Nichols, Vice President and General Manager of Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Farm in Lexington. “Good conformation and looks like he has a really good head on his shoulders. I thought I might have to go a little bit more (on the price). We have a really good Into Mischief 2-year-old (Mutasaabeq), who was third in (the Runhappy Hopeful-G1 at Saratoga on Sept. 7.)”

Mark Taylor, Taylor Made's Vice President of Marketing and Public Sales Operations, was pleased with the sale of the colt.

“We met with the Stonestreet team, and they decided to put this horse in Book 2,” Taylor said. “They thought he might stand out a little more here, and I think he did. He was head and shoulders above a lot of the other horses we had in this book, and the big buyers found him.”

Shadwell also paid $500,000 for another yearling consigned by Taylor Made, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised. He was the Curlin colt who is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Girvin and Grade 3 winner Cocked and Loaded. His dam is Catch the Moon, by Malibu Moon.

West Bloodstock, agent for Robert and Lawana Low, purchased a Malibu Moon colt for $610,000. Consigned by KatieRich Farms, he is out of the Grade 2-placed Tiznow mare Fantasy of Flight.

Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse.com, co-owners of recent Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Authentic, spent $600,000 on a colt by Authentic's sire, Into Mischief, who was consigned by Roderick Wachman's Kingswood Farm, agent. A full brother to Grade 3 winner One Liner, he is out of the winning Cherokee Run mare Cayala.

Into Mischief, the September Sale's leading sire with sales of $23,280,000 for 45 yearlings, stands at Spendthrift.

“There are many nice (Into Mischief) yearlings out here,” Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey said. “They have always been well received in the market and there has definitely been a bump from the Derby result. (Into Mischief) continues to amaze us, and if there was anyone in the industry that was a non-believer, I think they're all gone.”

Paramount Sales, agent, led all consignors on Thursday by selling 18 horses for $3,572,000.

The September Sale continues Friday with the start of the three-day Book 3. The sale runs through Sept. 25, and all remaining sessions begin at 10 a.m.

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Into Mischief Continues His Commercial Ascent At Keeneland September Sale

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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