Getting Into Mischief on the Gold Coast

There are not many proven stallions around that can provide stakes winners at a rate of at least 10% to runners. In the era of 150-200 mare books, the feat is very hard to achieve and maintain over a sire’s lifetime, be it in America, Europe or Australia. But one stallion that is making the cut is Spendthrift’s Into Mischief (USA).

His road to glory has been well documented in recent times, but his record is worth a look given that he’s got three yearlings coming to sale at Magic Millions.

Ostensibly, his race record has some shortcomings, none more so than the absence of a 3-year-old campaign.

But he did pass the first modern-day requirement of a prospective stallion on that he’s a Group 1 winning 2-year-old, taking the Hollywood Futurity over 1700m.

When he raced – which he did six times all at Santa Anita or Hollywood Park – he was competitive, finishing either first or second. But without a full race record, it was always going to be a little difficult to assess the son of Harlan’s Holiday (USA) as a stallion prospect.

As is often the case, ten years on new compelling evidence has come to light that would have instilled greater confidence among breeders.

A winning family

That evidence consists of an outstanding younger sister in 11-time Group 1 winner Beholder (USA), a champion filly or mare at two three, four and five.

Plus another Group 1 winning half-brother in the shape of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf scorer Mendelssohn (USA) who also ran second in the G1 Dewhurst and won the G2 UAE Derby.

Now, the success of Into Mischief’s stallion career doesn’t look so much of a surprise.

Predictably, Into Mischief didn’t start out with the best of mares, but top-class stallions quite often just need an opportunity, any opportunity, to commence their rise to stardom.

And the recent record of mares covered vividly demonstrates Into Mischief’s ascendancy to the head of the commercial stallion ranks.

In the past five years, his mare numbers have been 163, 181, 192, 193 and 239 in 2019, a tally behind only three other North American stallions. Each of those five years has witnessed fee increases from US$35,000 in 2015 to US$150,000 in 2019.

He stands at US$175,000 for 2020 and is sure to challenge last year’s mare total this spring. His yearling average has followed suit, rising to an all-time high of US$328,000 in 2019.

But the evidence is clear. Into Mischief has fully earned these greater opportunities. His 10.3% stakes winners to runners puts him among the top ten active sires in North America and he’s made it there without the ammunition enjoyed by many of his peers.

In fact, his mares’ normal stakes-winner production rate is 6.6% and their usual Group-winner rate is 2.1%, both numbers considerably below what Into Mischief achieves.

Table: Into Mischief's graded winners

*Authentic (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}) won Saturday’s G3 Sham S. at Santa Anita for SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Frederick Hertrich, III, John D. Fielding & Golconda Stables.

Of course, not only is Into Mischief attracting more mares, his tally of elite mares has also gone through the roof.

Again in the past four years they have increased each year to the 125 covered in 2019, second only to Justify (USA).

The significance of having better-bred crops in the pipeline is clear to everyone and Into Mischief has proven to be a stronger proposition when he covers elite mares – he’s had runners now from about 60 elite mares and they produced stakes winners at a rate of 14%.

What might we expect from the 300-plus elite mares already in the pipeline?

But it’s not solely good ratios that mark Into Mischief down as an excellent sire.

A sire for every surface

The quality of his best runners is also top-class and dual Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Goldencents (USA) – who incidentally covered more mares than his sire in 2019 – certainly qualifies as that with a Timeform rating of 129.

His brilliantly fast daughter Covfefe (USA), winner of the G1 Test and G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly And Mare Sprint is another to impress with a Timeform mark of 125.

In fact all his Group 1 winners have shown true Group 1 form and they also include the 124-rated multiple Group 1 winner Practical Joke (USA), who scored two of his three Group 1 victories in the Hopeful and Champagne as a 2-year-old.

A fast precocious horse that sires 2-year-olds and top-class sprinter-milers ought to be the type you would expect to do well under Australian racing conditions so his yearlings might well be worth a look at the upcoming sales.