Best bets big on Instagrand
Into Mischief, who has risen through the ranks to become North America’s reigning leading sire, will have a number of prominent sons with runners in the coming years, led by his Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Authentic. But also entering stud this year in Kentucky is his Instagrand, who will get every opportunity to get off on a good foot, thanks to his owner, Larry Best
Best, who breeds and races as OXO Equine, purchased Instagrand for $1.2 million as a juvenile. The colt won the Grade 2 Best Pal later that year, and early the following season was third in the Grade 3 Gotham and third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.
Instagrand will enter stud in 2021 at Taylor Made Farm, and Best was again bullish in the commercial arena in support of his young stallion. He purchased three mares for a total of $1.85 million at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale, and then purchased nine mares for a total of $5,545,000 at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale. His acquisitions at Keeneland included the two highest-priced horses of the sale overall, $1.95 million Grade 1 winner Concrete Rose and $1.9 million Indian Miss. The latter, the dam of Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner and Eclipse Award champion Mitole and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Hot Rod Charlie, is ticketed for Instagrand’s debut book.
“That’s my strategy – try to get Instagrand going,” Best said. “I really want to give Instagrand a shot. Indian Charlie is a beautiful cross with Into Mischief. . . . I’m betting big on Instagrand; going to give it a shot, anyway.”
Into Mischief’s first son to stud was Goldencents, the leading freshman sire by winners and second-leading sire by earnings in 2018, and the leading second- and third-crop sire of 2019 and 2020. Into Mischief’s multiple Grade 1 winner Practical Joke was successful in the commercial arena with his first yearlings this season, and will have his first runners in 2021. Meanwhile, first foals by Grade 1 winner Audible and Grade 2 winner Maximus Mischief will arrive next year.