Into Mischief, Quality Road, War Front hit milestones

With a bevy of stakes races for juveniles around the country over the weekend, three prominent sires each recorded a milestone victory.

Into Mischief, the nation’s leading sire the last two seasons, recorded the 100th black-type stakes winner of his career on Friday when Ain’t Easy won the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita. Shortly afterward on that same card, Corniche won the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes, giving his sire, Quality Road, the 50th black-type winner of his career.

On Sunday, War Front completed the trifecta of sire milestones, as Annapolis won the Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont, the sire’s 100th black-type winner.

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Spendthrift Farm’s Into Mischief established a single-season earnings record for a North American stallion last year, led by Horse of the Year Authentic, who gave him his first Triple Crown race victory in the Kentucky Derby, followed by a score in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Into Mischief has continued to record milestones this season, hitting the $100 million marker in career earnings in August. The son of Harlan’s Holiday is now well on his way to his next milestones. Two days after recording his 100th stakes winner, he landed No. 101 as Private Mission captured the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita.

His progeny have bankrolled $19,543,563 this season through Sunday, putting him atop the general sires list by a margin of more than $5.5 million, and putting last year’s seasonal record of $22,506,085 well within his reach with events such as the Breeders’ Cup still to come.

Into Mischief also put another feather in his cap as a sire of sires on Saturday, as his son Goldencents – who stands alongside him at Spendthrift – recorded his first Grade 1 winner with Going to Vegas taking the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita.

Into Mischief was the leading sire by gross sales at the Keeneland September yearling sale for the second consecutive year. The leading sire by average price this year was Quality Road, who stands at Lane’s End Farm.

Quality Road’s son Corniche, a $1.5 million purchase earlier this year at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s spring sale of 2-year-olds in training, posted this year’s top Beyer Speed Figure for a juvenile, a 98, with his debut victory at Del Mar in September. He heads back to Del Mar as one of the favorites for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile off his front-running victory in the American Pharoah.

Quality Road also has a young son standing alongside him in City of Light, who outgunned his sire for the top price at Keeneland September, with a blockbuster $1.7 million colt. Quality Road had the second-highest price of the sale, with a $1.6 million colt.

War Front, who stands at Claiborne Farm, has been internationally popular throughout his career. Annapolis gave him his milestone victory in the Pilgrim, which has been a productive prep race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. War Front will be seeking his second Breeders’ Cup victory, having sired 2015 Juvenile Turf winner Hit It a Bomb.