Into Mischief, Medaglia d'Oro make history as stallions
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Regardless of what happens the rest of the way with the Triple Crown and other major spring events, sires Into Mischief and Medaglia d’Oro exit the first weekend in May having already pulled off their own historic triples in the classics.
Into Mischief, North America’s six-time reigning leading sire, recorded his third official Kentucky Derby winner – the second to cross the wire first – when his son Sovereignty wore the roses, tying the all-time record for stallions in the race. One day prior, stalwart Medaglia d’Oro’s daughter Good Cheer remained unbeaten in the Kentucky Oaks, tying him for the record of three winning offspring in the filly classic.
Into Mischief, a Grade 1-winning juvenile in the colors of Spendthrift Farm, sired his first classic winner when eventual Horse of the Year Authentic took the pandemic-delayed 2020 Derby. The following spring, Into Mischief’s son Mandaloun crossed the line second by a half-length to Medina Spirit but was later elevated to first due to Medina Spirit’s disqualification for a medication violation. Godolphin homebred Sovereignty makes it a trio.
The other stallions to sire three Kentucky Derby winners are Virgil, with Vagrant (1876), Hindoo (1881), and Ben Ali (1886); Falsetto, with Chant (1894), His Eminence (1901), and Sir Huon (1906); Sir Gallahad III, with Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox (1930), Gallahadion (1940), and Hoop Jr. (1945); and Bull Lea, with Triple Crown winner Citation (1948), Hill Gail (1952), and Iron Liege (1957). Fifteen other stallions have sired two Derby winners.
Godolphin has been on a roll breeding to Into Mischief as of late, as its 2023 Kentucky Oaks winner and champion Pretty Mischievous is also by the leading sire. Pretty Mischievous is out of a mare by Tapit, a grandson of A.P. Indy. Sovereignty’s broodmare sire is A.P. Indy’s champion son Bernardini.
“We probably had a rough start trying to figure out what mares we needed to send Into Mischief, because we saw everyone else having a tremendous success with him, and we couldn’t get a winner by him,” said Michael Banahan, Godolphin’s director of bloodstock in the U.S. “But, eventually, we got there. We’ve had some nice horses by him. [Sovereignty] probably culminates in the best one we’ve had. He’s a wonderful stallion, as we know – great speed influence. But as we can see, if he gets the right mares, he can get classic mile-and-a-quarter horses as well.”
Into Mischief’s sixth leading sire title in 2024 marked the most consecutive titles for a North American stallion since the great Bold Ruler led the list for seven straight years, from 1963-69. Bold Ruler claimed an eighth title posthumously in 1973, the year his son Secretariat dominated the Triple Crown. Bold Ruler is tied with the pre-Civil War stallion Glencoe for the second-most North American sire titles all-time, trailing only the great Lexington, whose career spanned the Civil War while he rolled to an incredible 16 titles.
Godolphin’s stellar weekend began with homebred Good Cheer in the Oaks. As an additional point of pride, her sire, Medaglia d’Oro, stands under its Darley banner in Kentucky. The stallion, who won three Grade 1 races and placed in another six top-level events during his own career, had Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra emerge from his first crop. After a runaway victory in the 2009 Oaks, she added the Preakness Stakes, one of three Grade 1 wins over males in her Horse of the Year campaign. Medaglia d’Oro recorded his second Oaks winner in 2011 with Plum Pretty.
King Alfonso sired three Oaks winners with Katie Creel in 1882, Vera in 1883, and Lizzie Dwyer in 1885. A dozen other stallions have sired two winners.
Medaglia d’Oro, now 26, enjoyed an outstanding weekend at Churchill Downs, as Spirit of St Louis recorded his second Grade 1 of the year in the Old Forester Turf Classic and Nitrogen remained unbeaten on the year winning the Grade 2 Edgewood on Friday. The stallion’s other graded stakes winner this year is Grade 3 Gazelle heroine Ballerina d’Oro, who disliked the wet track while finishing 10th in the Oaks. Last year, Medaglia d’Oro sired seven graded stakes winners, including Grade 1 winner East Avenue for Godolphin.
“It’s tremendous – 26-year-old stallion,” Banahan said. “He’s had a rejuvenation here in the last couple of years. Two fillies here in the Oaks today, and to come and have another winner. It would be nice to think if [Good Cheer] could step in the shoes of a Rachel Alexandra or something like that, that would be great. But he’s a tremendous stallion.”
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