Dornoch dug back gamely to defeat Sierra Leone in a heart-stopping renewal of the GII Remsen S. at a rain-soaked Aqueduct Dec. 2, then took care of business in a scratched-down GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Mar. 2. Sierra Leone, meanwhile, returned with an excellent come-from-behind victory over a sloppy surface at Fair Grounds in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 17.

The Blue Grass field of 11 also includes the Brad Cox-trained duo of GIII Gotham S. Mar. 2 runner-up Just a Touch (Justify) and John Battaglia Memorial S. Mar. 2 winner Encino (Nyquist).

“Just at Touch is a very talented horse,” Cox said. “He's shown talent from day one. He was a little late to get to the races, but it was by design. (Dornoch and Sierra Leone) got to the races a little bit earlier, so obviously they have more seasoning. I think this horse is one of our better 3-year-olds. I'm excited against running against these colts. It's a Grade I with very talented horses. It looks to be one of the better Derby preps to date.”

A pair of unbeatens–'TDN Rising Star' Deterministic (Liam's Map) and Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso)–lead a field of 13 set for the GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct.

Deterministic, an eye-catching debut winner going seven furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 12, showed no signs of rust resurfacing from the bench with an impressive victory in the slop over the aforementioned Just a Touch in the one-turn mile Gotham. Tuscan Sky makes his stakes debut after defeating the talented Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) in an optional claimer on the Risen Star program. Parx invader Uncle Heavy (Social Inclusion) returns to the Big Apple after upsetting the GIII Withers S. over track and trip Feb. 3.

“The Gotham was a very good race and a good field over a wet track–he handled the whole thing well,” trainer Christophe Clement said of the Wood Memorial 7-5 morning-line favorite Deterministic. “It will be interesting to see him going two turns. We'll just go one step at a time. You never know until you try, but his style of racing and the way he trains makes you believe he should stay.”

A pair of last out graded winners–Imagination (Into Mischief) and Stronghold (Ghostzapper)–share top billing in the GI Santa Anita Derby. Imagination posted a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure for trainer Bob Baffert while gamely annexing the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 3. Stronghold, second in the GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 19 and GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 16, broke through with a win in the GIII Sunland Park Derby Feb. 18. Both colts have finished no worse than second in five career starts.

The Blue Grass, Santa Anita Derby and Wood Memorial all offer qualifying points to its top five finishers (100-50-25-15-10) toward the GI Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs has barred Baffert's trainees from participating in this year's Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks stemming in part from a well-documented medication positive found after Medina Spirit won the 2021 Derby.

There are also a pair of Kentucky Oaks preps on tap at Aqueduct at Santa Anita Saturday.

'TDN Rising Star' Kinza (Carpe Diem), winner of the GIII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 10 and GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 9, will put her perfect record on the line for Baffert in the GII Santa Anita Oaks. The field of five also includes Kopion (Omaha Beach), who reported home second-best behind Kinza last time in the Las Virgenes.

Life Talk (Gun Runner) will look to get back on track in the GIII Gazelle S. at the Big A. The GII Demoiselle S. heroine was a disappointing sixth as the heavy favorite in Tampa's Suncoast S. Feb. 10. Maiden of seven starts Where's My Ring (Twirling Candy) makes the trip from Southern California for the Gazelle following a longshot second in the Santa Ysabel.

Saturday's graded stakes also include a fantastic renewal of the GI Resolute Racing Madison S. The field of eight is led by standouts Alva Starr (Lord Nelson), Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance) and Vahva (Gun Runner). Keeneland's stacked Blue Grass program also features the GII Appalachian S., GII Shakertown S. and GIII Commonwealth S., respectively.

Saturday's graded action is rounded out by the GII Carter H. and GIII Distaff S. at Aqueduct and the GIII Monrovia S. at Santa Anita.

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GI Toyota Blue Grass S. – In a race billed as a showdown between the re-opposing GII Remsen S. one-two Dornoch (Good Magic) and Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), don't look past likely third choice Just a Touch (Justify). The highly regarded bay ran to the hype with a powerful debut score for trainer Brad Cox over the promising $1.7-million KEESEP graduate Gun Party (Curlin) (he returned with another very good second-place finish Mar. 16) on debut sprinting in the Fair Grounds slop Jan. 27. He was well-backed at the windows again for his second career start and lost little in defeat finishing second as the favorite over another saturated surface in a deep renewal of the GIII Gotham S. Mar. 2. Just a Touch will finally get a chance to showcase his ability on a fast surface and has every right to take another step forward stretching out to two turns for the first time as well. He should be able to sit a perfect trip just off Dornoch and have the jump on the stretch-running Sierra Leone, who is the horse to beat off his impressive come-from-behind win in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 17. Selection: #6 Just a Touch (7-2).

GII Wood Memorial S. – No knocks on the 7-5 morning-line favorite and impressive Gotham winner Deterministic (Liam's Map), but I prefer the fellow unbeaten Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso) here. Like the aforementioned Just a Touch, Tuscan Sky has raced only on wet, sealed tracks in his first two starts. The gray finished up like a real good thing after a bit of an interesting journey (led early, dropped back to third on the far turn and leveled off beautifully in stretch to win going away) sprinting on debut at the Big A Jan. 13. He backed up that effort with another fantastic performance–albeit in a three-horse field–with a two-length decision over sharp next-out Hot Springs S. winner Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) (good for a 95 Beyer) while making his two-turn debut on the Risen Star undercard. Tuscan Sky tuned up for this with a four-furlong bullet in :48 3/5 (1/20) for seven-time Wood Memorial-winning trainer Todd Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs Mar. 30. Tuscan Sky's young sire Vino Rosso won this same race in 2018. Selection: #9 Tuscan Sky (4-1).

GI Santa Anita Derby – It's difficult to make a case against Imagination (Into Mischief), who will be the much-deserved Santa Anita Derby favorite. The $1.05-million KEESEP yearling has run well in all five of his career starts and has taken a nice step forward in his last two. He gave highly regarded Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Maymun (Frosted) all he could handle while finishing second in an optional claimer Feb. 11, then dug in gamely to secure a career high in the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 3. Should be well-spotted beneath Frankie Dettori either on or just off the lead. Selection: #4 Imagination (8-5).

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QUICK BROWN FOX (Justify), the first foal out of MGISW Bast, debuts Saturday for owner/breeder Spendthrift Farm and trainer Richard Mandella. Spendthrift went to $4.2m, a top-four price, at FTKNOV in 2020 for the daughter of Uncle Mo who earned over $850,000 on the track for trainer Bob Baffert. Bast herself is out of $1.5m Eaton Bloodstock broodmare buy Laffina (Arch) and the family has plenty of graded-stakes caliber runners led by GISW and $1.2m FTKNOV broodmare Fault (Blame) and SW/MGSP South Bennd (Algorithms). Quick Brown Fox fired a best-of-five bullet in her most recent work, going six furlongs in 1:13 Feb. 29 for Mandella who puts Joel Rosario aboard on the debut. TJCIS PPS

1st-GP, $89K, MSW, 3yo, 1m, 1:10 p.m.

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable went to $360,000 to secure Whiskey N Soda (Vino Rosso) as a yearling at Keeneland in 2022 and the Triple Crown-nominated colt debuts Saturday with trainer Todd Pletcher. Dam Bible Belt has already produced several stakes horses including MSP Gospel Way (Brody's Cause), SP Happy Boy Rocket (Runhappy) and GSP Hardworkcleanlivin (Colonel John). TJCIS PPS

8th-FG, $57K, MSW, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 5:15 p.m.

Making his second start, Gun Party (Curlin) was a $1.7m yearling at Keeneland in 2022 and ran a good second at 10-1 odds over a sloppy Fair Grounds track behind next-out GIII Gothan S. runner up Just a Touch (Justify). The Steve Asmussen trainee, who posted an 80 Beyer Speed Figure in that loss, lines up on the rail inside another son of Curlin looking for redemption in Cornishman. That Godolphin homebred, starting for the third time Saturday off a pair of seconds, keeps Florent Geroux aboard for Brad Cox and also hopes for a dry track off catching the slop at 1 1/16 miles over the local course Feb .17. TJCIS PPS

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Owned in partnership by Woodford Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds and Chris Larsen, SEDONA (Curlin) debuts Sunday at Gulfstream Park for trainer Shug McGaughey. The full-sister to MGSW/GISP and $1.5m FTSAUG yearling First Captain nearly topped 2022's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale when selling for $2,000,000. Dam America, herself a graded stakes winner and dual Grade-I placed, last went through the auction ring late last year at FTKNOV but failed to meet her reserve at $1,200,000. She also RNA'd for $3.1m at FTKNOV back in 2019. The family has produced plenty of pricey horses including America's half-sister Paris Bikini (Bernardini) who brought $1.95m at FTKNOV in 2020 and that mare's daughter, GISW Paris Lights (Curlin), who went to Spendthrift Farm on a final bid of $3.1m at KEENOV in 2021. TJCIS PPS

5th-FG, $57K, MSW, 3yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 3:45 p.m.

Spendthrift homebred Wine and Waves (Vino Rosso), running for Albert Stall, Jr., debuts on the grass Sunday in New Orleans. A daughter of MGSW/GISP Malibu Pier, she is a half to SW and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner up Coasted (Tizway) who went the way of Katsumi Yoshida for $1.3m at FTKNOV in 2017 and produced Japanese GSW Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}, runner up in last year's G1 DP World Dubai Turf. Malibu Pier is additionally responsible for MGSP Malibu Stacy (Tizway). Wine and Waves drilled four furlongs in a near-bullet :47 4/5 (2/54) Feb. 22 in preparation for her debut. TJCIS PPS

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#7 Tuscan Sky stays perfect in R3 @fairgroundwsnola for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner @spendthriftfarm with @luissaezpty in the irons!

@JohnGDooley#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/44osjlnn0T

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) February 17, 2024

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Becca's Rocket, 6, (Orb-Idoitmyway, by Unbridled's Song). To be bred to Elite Power.
Becca's Rocket is currently in foal to Jackie's Warrior. We bred this Orb filly and after the untimely death of her Unbridled's Song dam in a paddock accident, I vowed to buy this beautiful stakes mare back after her racing career. When she was born, I had such high hopes for her because she was just a super model from day one. Even though Orb tanked as a stallion, I was thrilled that she ran to her looks to become a four-time stakes placed mare of over $250,000. I drove the people who owned her so crazy for over a year to buy her upon her retirement. I saw Jackie's Warrior and thought he was beyond stunning so she went to him the first year, figuring the horse version of Angelina Jolie to Brad Pitt certainly has the chance to make a beautiful baby! So, who to breed her to this year? When I was at the Breeders' Cup this year after losing my butt all day since I refused to bet the chalk, and about six drinks in, Elite Power's race was up. I was watching the post parade and all of a sudden Elite Power gallops away from the pony horse like a machine, giving me goose bumps (which I just got again thinking about it!) I turned to my husband and said, `whatever cash or betting funds we have I am putting on Elite Power.' I literally was putting in a dozen single dollar bills into the auto teller at the Little Red Feather suite with two minutes to post. Ha! He wins and happy, happy! How could one of my favorite homebred yearlings not go to one of my favorite racehorses? Becca's Rocket is booked to Elite Power.

Life Well Lived, 17, Tiznow-Well Dressed, b Notebook. To be bred to Constitution.
She is in foal to Constitution and my thoughts are, `if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' We were so lucky to buy this fabulous older multiple stakes producer the morning before her son, Parchment Party (Constitution), became a TDN Rising Star. I'm a huge, huge fan of Stone Farm who had her and raised all her runners, so I knew he had a great chance of being raised big and sound. Valerie de Meric, whose family broke and trained him, had texted me the morning she sold about his incredible talent. My mom and I were in the back ring with a tentative budget of $250,000 to purchase her. As her price climbed, I said to my mom that I did not think our original budget was going to cut it at all. We bid $340,0000 and the bid was returned slowly at $350,000 from whom I found out was her breeder, WinStar Farm. I looked at my mom as Stan the bid spotter is asking me with his gestures from his back ring post, `What do you want to do?' Mom looked at me and I asked her, `What do you want to do?' She said, `I am 76 and I can't take it with me, and I want to buy this mare.' The reference to her being 76 was not lost on me as my mind instantaneously was flooded with the memories of my beloved grandmother (my second mom) and her mother, Betty Machmer, who died in perfect health at 76 asleep on the sofa. Her loss 30 years ago still hurts. Her love, her personality, her life of supreme kindness inspired the name and spirit of what is Machmer Hall.
So we bid again. That afternoon at Keeneland, when his allowance race went off at Churchill Downs, I am sure they heard me cheering him in Louisville. The grand old gal is happily living at Machmer Hall now, a stone's throw from her former home of Stone Farm and, to top it off, I got the most wonderful and amazing congratulatory text from my favorite chef on Beat Bobby Flay after her purchase. Lynn Hancock asked me what I was going to do if he won the Derby and I told her I was going to get drunk. What a life we lead. Hope is the most valuable commodity. She is booked back to the next super stallion in Kentucky, Constitution.

Bunskie, 4, (Speightstown-Layreebelle, by Tale of the Cat). To be bred to Into Mischief.
Many years ago, we bought a top-class older mare when she was 19 years old. She was carrying a Tale of the Cat filly at the time. That mare was Voodoo Lily, who became the granddam of Justify. The resultant Tale of the Cat filly unfortunately injured her shoulder in a field accident so we kept her as a broodmare and named her Layreebelle (after my kids Layne, Reece, and Isabelle). Layreebelle has gone onto be a triple-graded-stakes producer with her most recent filly, Three Witches (Into Mischief) running third in the Breeders' Cup Sprint and selling for $1.7 million at Keeneland November.
We retained the now four-year-old Speightstown daughter out of Layreebelle named Bunskie, my youngest brother's childhood nickname. She foaled a fancy Bolt d'Oro filly just last night! In deciding where to go next, we looked to our favorite super sire, Into Mischief. His live-foal stud fee is out of our comfort zone, so we did a package of no-guarantee seasons in him with Spendthrift and she is booked on one of those seasons. We cannot wait to have a handful of Into Mischiefs back on the farm next year!

Stonetonic, 6, (Candy Ride {Arg}-Stonetastic, by Mizzen Mast.) To be bred to Flightline.
We were lucky enough to breed Grade II winner Stonetastic out of our super mare, Special Me. We were anxious to have a filly from that family, so when her first daughter Stonetonic came to auction in foal to Yaupon, we paid an outrageous $400,000 for her. Well, we looked pretty damn crazy until I was in Keeneland November seeing all of these fancy Yaupon babies with incredible physiques selling for big bucks! She has a lovely filly foal and when it came to make a choice of who to breed her to last year it was not lost on me that Flightline's purchaser, David Ingordo, bought Stonetonic's half-sister by Gun Runner for $925,000. David also bought Special Me's Grade I winner, Gift Box, off of us as a weanling so we're thinking it might be a lucky mating to send her to the stellar racehorse Flightline for her second baby, which she is expecting. Figuring that it was a no-brainer to send her first year mating, why not repeat it for $50,000 less for second year? Stonetonic is booked back to Flightline for 2024.

Hailey's Melody, 6, (Can the Man-Miki's Melody, by Aptitude). To be bred to Two Phil's.
Since we have a ridiculous number of mares due to yours truly having a major horse addiction, we have really tried to limit our new acquisitions to stakes mares. I first saw this mare on a Fasig-Tipton digital sale and even though Can the Man fizzled out at stud, she was a gorgeous, stakes-placed mare who failed to meet her reserve at $48,000 as a breeding or racing prospect. I messaged her owner that when she was done racing we would be interested in buying her as a broodmare only. Fast forward five months, and I got a text that her owner would sell her for a price so reasonable I think I choked on the Diet Coke I was drinking. She shipped in and this stunning 16.3 Adonis gets off the van. So, who to breed her to first year for good value but a great physical and price? Two Phil's: what a great price at $12,500! His speed figures were off the charts and he is by such a great, underrated stallion in Hard Spun. She has the big stretchy frame to lengthen out his Quarter Horse type physique and they are both correct with plenty of bone.

Rumandice, 8, (Congrats-Chasethegold, by Touch Gold). To be bred to Practical Joke.
I was walking in the back ring in Keeneland January, 2020 and happened to glance over and see this statuesque Congrats filly literally in the chute to go into the ring to be sold. We had actually had great luck in past with her family both in the sale ring and on the racetrack (which is the holy grail for any Thoroughbred commercial breeder). I decided to watch her sell and see where she went. She waltzes into the ring and I hear music to my bargain-shopping ears: `this mare is a cribber.' `OH!' my brain says. `There might be a chance here!' I bought her for $65,000 as a broodmare prospect and happy! Her second foal turns out to be a magnificent son of Practical Joke we sold to Winstar farm for $500,000 at this year's Saratoga sale. We bred her back to Authentic in 2023. Elliott Walden was kind enough to send me a video last month of said Practical Joke colt training, now named Social Hour, and so far so good! Seemed like a no brainer to us to repeat that mating and hope for maybe a happy hour next time! Her 2024 mating is back to the proven and great value sire in Practical Joke.

Line of Vision, 9, Court Vision-Gold Lined, by Numerous). To be bred to Maximus Mischief.
Line of Vision is a small mare but was a multiple stakes-winning two-year-old with 20 starts under her belt and earnings of almost $250,000. We used to have a rule in our band that all mares had to be at least 16hh but as the years passed we realized that rule needed to be changed with so many big stallions in Kentucky. We bought this mare on the Wanamaker's digital sale platform and bred her in 2023 to Mo Donegal, who is a big, strong horse. She was actually booked to Bolt D'Oro, but that day he was chock a block so we had to call an audible and change stallions last minute. Hopefully it works out like it did when the same thing happened with Vyjack's mating. In deciding where to send her for 2024, we turned to a former Machmer Hall pinhook, Maximus Mischief. What a magnificent foal he was and we have supported him since he went to stud including purchasing multiple breeding rights in him. He seems to throw leg and stretch no matter what mare he goes to. I think that he has had literally three maiden special weight winners in the past two days alone. We are hoping this sound young mare will be a great match with him physically and on the track! 2024: booking Maximus Mischief

Warm Sunshine, 10, (Unbridled's Song-Carolina Sunrise, by Awesome Again). To be bred to Cody's Wish.
We bought Warm Sunshine as a yearling on my never ending quest for Unbridled's Song mares. We already had claimed her full-sister, who became the dam of Grade III winner Fore Left and her other half-sister, Little Miss Macho, who was a Keeneland September session topper. We raced her and even though she is small, Bart Hone told me she “had a heart the size of Texas.” When we were looking who to breed her for a first foal, Constitution was in the middle of the dreaded bubble year as a stallion. I was challenged by Winstar to book five mares to him and get a bonus season. I actually found eight mares for him and we decided to send Warm Sunshine to him. Fast-forward from that 2018 mating; a case of sesamoiditis derailed our vision of a yearling sale. On to the two-year-old sale, where he promptly bucked his shins. So now, we race him. Steal Sunshine (named after the Len song) has now won two stakes and over $350,000 for us and is running in the GIII Hooper on Pegasus day this weekend! His mother is in foal to two-year-old champion Essential Quality on a 2023 breeding and booked to a horse that more happy tears have been shed over then I can remember in my lifetime, Cody's Wish, for 2024.

Vino Rosso is booked for Breakfastatbonnies | Sarah Andrew

Breakfastatbonnies, 6, (Laoban-Right Prevails, by Successful Appeal). To be bred to Vino Rosso.
Breakfastatbonnies is another one of my infamous walking in the back ring and `what on earth is that?' buys. (Better to ask forgiveness than permission from the hubby and mom.) This stakes-placed Laoban mare is the sh$t. I mean big and beautiful in every way of the word. A little flat in her knees if you want to be critical but I think that was found in a lot of the Laoban progeny. Full-sister to a stakes-winner of over half a million, I bought her as a broodmare prospect for $90,000. For a first year foal, we bred her to Cyber Knife. I try to call the people that know those horses best when they were yearlings or two year olds and Susan Montayne had broken and trained him for Al Gold. After speaking to her, I felt this would be a great physical match, but, truth be told , this mare is so good-looking she could probably get bred to a Welsh Pony and have a Pony Finals champion. When looking to breed her for 2024, my eyebrows have been raised at the incredible accomplishments so far of Vino Rosso. We booked three mares to him for the 2024 season and Breakfastatbonnies is one of those mares going to him.

Fancy Kitten, 10, (Kitten's Joy-Endless Fancy, by Ghostzapper). To be bred to Justify.
Fancy Kitten was originally claimed by James Keogh to resell as a broodmare prospect. He called me for a reference on someone who could claim this stakes-placed daughter of Kitten's Joy for him. I told him I knew the perfect person-a 4H conformation judge in a former lifetime and now a hard-working trainer. James calls her and the claim is dropped on `the correct and good-sized filly.' `Grand, grand,' you can imagine James saying in his best Irish brogue. Wait a minute, the phone rings again and the trainer says, `I was so busy making sure she was correct that I might have missed that she is a wee weak in the topline.' James is like, `how weak are we talking?' Too late, claim dropped. I am dying of laughter typing this because to hear James tell the story is side-splitting. James calls me after the mare gets to his farm and he is like, `so much for your former 4H judge!' Fancy Kitten goes to the Fasig-Tipton February sale and if you ever had the Breyer horse as a kid like I did , Fancy Kitten was the chestnut version of the old grey mare Glossy.
She is at the sale and as everyone knows it is impossible to sell a swayback (even though I have never seen a swayback throw a swayback) and she fails to meet her modest reserve. My mother, of course, has heard the entire story of the claim and James is desperately wanting to get her off the books as one of the rare times he does not make a fabulous claim, so we buy her for $10,000. Her first foal is the graded-stakes winning Jasper Krone (Frosted) who ran in this year's Breeders' Cup and her second foal, Ngannou (Mendelssohn) was a graded-stakes-placed two year old of last year. She has never thrown a swayback and throws a lovely baby that can run! She is currently in foal to the beautiful Jackie's Warrior and is booked back to the rising-star stallion Justify. You just cannot make this stuff up and that is why you never know where they are going to come from!

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Excited about our Vino Rosso colt TUSCAN SKY who impressively won on debut at @TheNYRA for @PletcherRacing https://t.co/iPgfPNgD69

— Spendthrift Farm (@spendthriftfarm) January 13, 2024

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In some respects, New Year's Day is a more literal turning point for our sport than other walks of life. For bureaucratic purposes, the weanlings of today become the short yearlings of tomorrow; and Into Mischief himself takes one step closer to veteran status, as he enters his 19th year. On the other hand, our cycles demand too much patience for anyone simply to wipe the slate clean every year. Every program, on or off the track, enters 2024 with a pretty clear trajectory. That may depend on how many (or few) mares your stallion has covered over the past two or three years; or perhaps on the caliber of those randomly selected by fate for the injuries annually inevitable in the paddocks or in training.

And, actually, it is precisely those two variables that have combined to create the age of Into Mischief, and the industrial system on which he has built his hegemony. Quality still sells, as he has shown, but nowadays it's commercially imperative to have a foundation of quantity.

Into Mischief has not quite matched the new mark he set last year, when his stock exceeded $28.5 million in earnings. At $25,893,748 million this time round, however, he has eclipsed the record he had established the previous year, when narrowly becoming the first sire ever to tip $25 million. (He had already been the first to break $20 million, back in 2020.) His latest haul is the work of 209 winners overall, 26 at stakes and 14 at graded level, six of those in the top tier–figures unmatched in each category other than by Justify, whose half-dozen elite winners either side of the water appear to identify a young stallion with global potential. Into Mischief's overall 54 black-type performers, 31 graded stakes horses, and 13 Grade I placers similarly represent the highest in those indices, as well. (All these figures updated to December 30.)

So, guess what: you breed to Into Mischief at $250,000, or buy one of his 15 seven-figure yearlings in 2023 (another record, overtaking Storm Cat's 13 in 2005), and he will almost certainly get you a racehorse; and very possibly a champion. But we know how the model works, on these high-volume farms, even for much less competent stallions–and the fact remains that Into Mischief also has the highest number of starters, at a staggering 462. That's more than the two on the other steps of the general sires' podium for 2024, Curlin (238 starters) and Gun Runner (201), combined!

In terms of ratios, therefore, both those horses have this year beaten Into Mischief across the board. The simplest measure of all is earnings per starter: Into Mischief is on $56,047, which puts him 10th overall. Gun Runner, with only a third crop of juveniles to add to his first 4-year-olds and sophomores, this year has an average yield per starter of $87,027; and Curlin, $78,126.

Gun Runner's 16 stakes winners in 2024 represent eight percent of starters, against 5.6 percent for Into Mischief; his dozen graded stakes scorers equated to six percent, doubling the champion's clip; and his trio of Grade I winners are among 11 elite performers overall, a remarkable 5.5 percent of starters, again doubling the rate of Into Mischief.

Now it is true that Into Mischief's sophomores this year were his first foals conceived at $150,000; and his juveniles at $175,000. His incoming 2-year-olds, including all those seven-figure yearlings, were conceived at $225,000, and the next lot are the first at his current fee of $250,000. So his current racetrack stock is only just reflecting his emergence as an eligible partner for the very best mares around, their attention having been stimulated by the likes of Practical Joke (foaled 2014) and Audible (2015). Breeders who were finally won over only by Authentic (2017) or Life Is Good (2018) have not yet put their stretchy, Classic stock into play, and it's reasonable to expect Into Mischief to complete his rise from famously humble origins with stronger percentages. Remember both Curlin and Gun Runner were Horses of the Year that started out at $75,000/$70,000.

Nonetheless he must divide the plaudits with both his pursuers. Curlin's haul of $18,594,100 consolidates his claims as one of the best never to have his status formally gilded by a sires' championship. He was runner-up as long ago as 2016, to Tapit, and again in Into Mischief's first year, 2019; and he finished third in 2021 and 2022, in which years he was the only sire to produce five and six Grade I winners respectively. He has mustered another five this year, including the pair who repeated their Breeders' Cup success, besides a landmark 100th stakes winner. Overall, he's going to get you a horse placed at Grade I level from every 25 named foals, essentially the same as Tapit and bettered only by War Front among active sires. And he's priced accordingly nowadays, too–having last year earned a hike from $175,000 to $225,000, he joins Into Mischief at $250,000 in 2024.

As for Gun Runner, up to third place on $17,492,408 after reaching No. 6 with only his second crop last year, he has now confirmed that some of his maturing stock (though having shown unexpected precocity overall) will thrive as he did himself. Interestingly, his third crop of juveniles has made a better start than did his second, and he obviously has time on his side: he turns 11, as Curlin hits 20.

The question now is whether his growing resources might close the gap on Into Mischief, or whether the champion will extend his dominion for two more years, so matching the storied seven-year streak of Bold Ruler himself.

It's a whole different world from the one dominated by Bold Ruler, of course. True, the top three have now reached such inaccessible fees that even Into Mischief's book dwindled to “only” 177 mares last spring, from 202 the previous year; while Gun Runner covered 166 mares, having been busiest of all with 256 in 2022. But the commercial frenzy otherwise remains unabated. Two farms, in particular, appeared to be pointedly unfettered last spring after thwarting an attempt to limit books to 140 mares.

Everyone will have their own views on a rookie turf sprinter covering 293 mares, but the bottom line is that Ashford and Spendthrift between them will be accounting for an astounding percentage of the 2024 foal crop. Their stallions collectively entertained well over 5,000 mares, and the foal crop is projected at 18,000. Don't get me wrong, many other farms would have no qualms about emulating them, as we see from the numbers they accommodate whenever possible. All I'm saying is that this kind of production line brings with it a lot of responsibility, in terms of what the modern Thoroughbred can or should be.

Regardless, few will be quibbling with the way Into Mischief has made the numbers game work. He's obviously become a remarkable influence, serving as both prototype and paragon for an era we can now brand with his name. In his early struggles, remember, he was one of the original prompts for the late B. Wayne Hughes to shake things up with his 'Share The Upside' scheme. That was the “bold” bit, and now Into Mischief is threatening to prove a “ruler” of unprecedented longevity.

Mitole | Sarah Andrew

Freshmen Sires

The same farm that has supervised Into Mischief's ground-breaking career dominated the 2023 first-crop sires' table throughout, in the process vindicating a conspicuous evolution in strategy to upgrade its roster.

Again, the four Spendthrift sires who confined the freshman title race to their own barn were all able to benefit from much volume. Vino Rosso had 155 live foals in his debut crop, for instance, and Mitole 147. It actually remains tight enough at the top that the last couple of days could conceivably make a difference, but as things stand it is Mitole who claims the laurels, whether by prizemoney ($2,356,418 against $2,189,482 for Maximus Mischief, with Vino Rosso breathing down their necks on $2,146,186) or individual winners (33, two more than “Max”).

Mitole's eligibility for the crown is underlined by his status as the only one of the top four to have managed a graded stakes winner, joining just Flameaway and Solomini in what has proved a historically underachieving class overall. Last year's intake accumulated 15 such scorers, and the preceding years managed 13, 11 and 12. The last group to underperform by this measure, in 2018, has duly turned out to contain no real stars, with only four still in the Bluegrass and none standing for more than $15,000.

So the pressure is on this latest group. If you get volume, it's over to you. You have an opportunity denied to other perfectly feasible prospects, and must respond with results. In this day and age, when we know that most stallions will have their biggest and best books in their debut season, the whole commercial prejudice in favor of new sires makes no sense unless they capitalize on all those mares by producing a Grade I winner or two. That could very easily still happen, of course, once this lot are represented by their first sophomores: Vino Rosso had four horses placed at the elite level this year, and his own template suggests that his stock will keep thriving; while Omaha Beach, who will have received the classiest mares, has so far launched barely half his named foals, compared with two-thirds already out for Maximus Mischief. Even as it is, Omaha Beach's nine stakes performers are a joint high for the class at 15 percent of starters.

Credit, regardless, to Flameaway for doing best of those trying to break up the Spendthrift monopoly. He admittedly had pretty good numbers behind him, as well, but stands alone with four stakes winners to date. Only Maximus Mischief and Solomini have three.

And Solomini has 69 named foals in New York. How many of these high-volume sires have genuinely proved themselves to be better conduits of genetic prowess than Solomini or, say, Divisidero? Among the main protagonists, champion elect Mitole has the highest percentage of winners-to-starters at 42 percent. Divisidero has four winners from 10 starters including a Grade II-placed stakes winner (from three starts). But having been so recklessly uncommercial as to win graded stakes five seasons running, he has no more than 23 live foals in his debut crop.

Congratulations, all the same, to those that have worked the system. Every year there are new sires that don't convert opportunity into commensurate results, but three of the Spendthrift four (the exception, curiously, being the champion) and Flameaway have all earned fee increases for 2024.

Second-crop Sires etc.

The freshman class of 2023 will do well to emulate their predecessors, who have had an exceptional campaign. Good Magic got the Derby winner at the first attempt, while Justify has the world at his feet after producing six elite scorers either side of the Atlantic.

The emergence of an outstanding champion juvenile in Europe seals the impression that Justify could become the crossover stallion urgently required to reconcile disastrously segregated gene pools. He too had the inevitable quantity behind him as well, but he's maintained a wholesome tangent between the two with 10 graded/group winners in 2023 representing a class-high 5.7 percent of starters.

It was hard work, even so, to hold off Good Magic for the second-crop laurels at $9,886,177 to $9,433,728, with Bolt d'Oro third on $7,274,729. Good Magic got his dozen stakes winners this year at 8 percent of starters, measuring up to Justify's 15 at 8.5 percent, and he's actually top by earnings-per-starter at $63,314, though Justify ($56,171) has doubtless paid in that respect for having such good horses contesting internationally uncompetitive purses over the water!

Justify has only started 62 percent of his named foals, perhaps partly because he may have a few later developers like himself. Be that as it may, the 70 of his 140 named juveniles to have made the starting gate sufficed to make him the leading sire of 2-year-olds by a handsome margin, banking $4,870,920, miles clear of Constitution on $2,798,468.

Justify had six graded/group scorers among his 2-year-olds, with only Gun Runner getting close on four. Otherwise only Good Magic, Nyquist, Malibu Moon and Ghostzapper had two; Into Mischief was among those with one, but he made it count in the GI Champagne S. Even so, given the frantic demand for precocity, you will find some very expensive sires looking rather tepid in this table.

TDN stats incorporate worldwide earnings but that rather distorts the turf title, where Medaglia d'Oro owed around 70 percent of his $7,987,931 earnings to Hong Kong moneyspinner Golden Sixty! Otherwise, another championship could be posthumously awarded to English Channel on $6,859,169. Let's call him the domestic champion, at any rate, in a division for now dominated by veteran (War Front next on $6,600,220) or departed sires.

Much the youngest player here is American Pharoah, who confirms his aptitude for the discipline in finishing just cents off fifth-placed… Into Mischief! A lot of perceived dirt sires would prove barely less effective on turf, judging from the results achieved by lesser stock that will typically only even try it because they're not working out on the main track. Insular European stables take note!

The post Quality And Quantity Together Secure Mischief Fifth Title appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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With weanlings, yearlings, horses of racing age, open broodmares and broodmares in-foal all catalogued this month, top first-crop stallions of 2023 will also be represented. Yearlings by Mitole, Maximus Mischief and Vino Rosso are included.

Highlights of the catalogue:

• A yearling filly by Mitole (Hip 6). Mitole is the leading first-crop sire by earnings and co-leader by winners.
• A yearling filly by Vino Rosso (Hip 3), out of SW Awesome Alexandra.
• A yearling filly by Maximus Mischief comes from the family of MGSW Candy Man Rocket (Hip 4).

In-person inspections may be scheduled by contacting sellers with the information provided in the catalogue.

The post Wanamaker’s December Sale Catalogue Released appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The catalogue, which is the largest ever offered on the Fasig-Tipton Digital platform, features more than 170 broodmares, as well as broodmare prospects, horses of racing age, yearlings and weanlings.

The catalogue also includes a stallion share and lifetime breeding right in MGSW Flameaway (Scat Daddy), who is the current co-leading North American first-crop sire by black-type winners.

“This is by far our largest digital sale to date and shows the remarkable growth and traction that Fasig Digital has gained with sellers in just 21 months,” said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton Director of Digital Sales.  “With the strength of this catalogue, it is essential for buyers to work through this sale as seriously as they would any live auction.”

Covering sires include Bolt d'Oro, Corniche, Early Voting, Essential Quality, Golden Pal, Jack Christopher, Jackie's Warrior, Liam's Map, Mandaloun, Maxfield, Mitole, Mo Donegal, Mystic Guide, Omaha Beach, Practical Joke, Street Sense, Tapit, Twirling Candy, Union Rags, Upstart, Violence, War of Will and Yaupon.

Sires of yearlings include Maclean's Music, Medaglia d'Oro, Nyquist, Twirling Candy, Union Rags and Vino Rosso.

Weanling sires include Authentic, Hard Spun, Not This Time, Omaha Beach, and Vino Rosso.

The catalogue features offerings located in Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Ontario, Canada.

“We have offerings at all price ranges that suit a wide variety of regional programs,” said Aaron. “December Digital also provides the last opportunity for those that need to buy before the end of the year for tax purposes.”

Click here to view the catalogue, create an account or register to bid.

The post Bidding Open For Fasig-Tipton December Digital Sale, Includes 300 Plus Entries appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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