Into Mischief poised for strong second half
Into Mischief, the nation’s three-time reigning leading sire, added another stakes winner to his 2022 tally on Saturday, as Gerrymander was a three-length victor in the historic Grade 2 Mother Goose at Belmont. With Into Mischief’s chief earner thus far this season, Life Is Good, poised to return to the races, and plenty of prospects revving up for summer and fall racing, the stallion is poised to make a run at additional sire accolades, vying with standout Quality Road.
Approaching the halfway point of 2022, Lane’s End Farm stablemates Quality Road and Tonalist sit first and second among North American sires by earnings, with bankrolls of $16,289,244 and $13,158,607, respectively, through June 26. Into Mischief, who resides at Spendthrift Farm, is third at $12,493,867. Quality Road is already more than halfway to Into Mischief’s single-season earnings record of $25,009,663 established in 2021.
However, while Quality Road is by no means a one-hit wonder – he is the sire of seven stakes winners this year, including unbeaten Grade 1-winning turf mare Bleecker Street – Emblem Road, winner of the world’s richest race, the Saudi Cup, is responsible for more than $10.1 million of his earnings. Tonalist is in a similar position, as Country Grammer, second in the Saudi Cup before winning the Dubai World Cup, has added more than $10.4 million to his bankroll.
Accounting only for North American earnings, Into Mischief does lead the sire list, with $10,486,207. Curlin – who leads the nation with three Grade 1 winners in Clairiere, Nest, and Obligatory – is second with $7,562,497, while Quality Road is sixth on that list.
Into Mischief leads the nation with 13 stakes winners overall, with Grade 1 winner Life Is Good joined in that tally by graded/group stakes winners Barraza, Fulsome, Gerrymander, Man of Promise, Mandaloun, My Prankster, and Private Mission. At least three of those standouts are set to run this coming weekend. Life Is Good, winner of the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and 2022 Pegasus World Cup, was last seen finishing fourth in the Dubai World Cup. He is expected to make his return to the races in the Grade 2 John Nerud on Saturday at Belmont Park.
Mandaloun crossed the line second in the 2021 Kentucky Derby, but was promoted to the victory on the disqualification of the star-crossed Medina Spirit; that decision is still under appeal. Mandaloun’s elevation does make Into Mischief, officially, the first stallion ever represented by back-to-back Kentucky Derby winners, as he sired 2020 winner and Horse of the Year Authentic. Counting that Derby, as well as his promotion to the victory in last year’s Grade 1 Haskell Invitational, Mandaloun has won five stakes races. He began this year with a win in the Grade 3 Louisiana Stakes, but then was ninth in the Saudi Cup. He is scheduled to make his first start since that race in this Saturday’s Grade 2 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. The following day at the same track, My Prankster is a probable entrant in the $160,000 Maxfield.
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However, the sire race should not be ceded to Into Mischief and his arsenal. Quality Road’s 2021 Eclipse Award champion juvenile Corniche is expected to return to the races in the second half of this season. Also immediately on the horizon in July are the summer race meets at Saratoga and Del Mar, both of which are traditional coming-out parties for well-regarded juveniles. Quality Road and Into Mischief both should be well represented in this regard. Both stallions saw their stud fees rise significantly in 2019, the year the juveniles of 2022 were conceived. Going hand in hand with that, each received an improving book of mares that season, and that resulted in strong sale figures last year for promising yearlings.
Quality Road had an outstanding 2018 season, which saw his stud fee more than double, to $150,000 for 2019 compared to $70,000. Last year, his cumulative yearling average was an outstanding $472,068, up from $330,091 the prior year and $323,359 in 2019.
Quality Road led the bellwether Keeneland September yearling sale by average price, led by a $1.6 million colt purchased by Woodford Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds; that price was second only to a $1.7 million colt by Quality Road’s own son, City of Light. Quality Road’s high-priced colt, now named Weyhill Road, is in training at Fair Hill with Shug McGaughey. He has been working steadily toward a summer debut, most recently going a bullet four furlongs from the gate on June 14.
Meanwhile, Into Mischief’s fee rose to $150,000 from $100,000 for 2019. His fee has continued to climb, and he stood this season for $250,000 at Spendthrift, making him North America’s most expensive stallion. His yearling average was $386,933 in 2021 – a slight dip from 2020’s mark of $395,262.
Following Quality Road, Tonalist, and Into Mischief on the North American sire list, regardless of racing area of progeny, through June 26 are Curlin, Uncle Mo, Medaglia d’Oro, American Pharoah, Speightstown, Munnings, and Not This Time.