Sires Into Mischief, Practical Joke bear watching at upcoming sale

Amid a logjam atop the leaderboard at the under-tack preview show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. March sale of 2-year-olds in training, reigning leading sire Into Mischief and his son Practical Joke emerged as stallions to watch at the year's juvenile market opener.

Following three days of breezes, from Thursday through Saturday on the Ocala Training Center's all-weather Safetrack surface, 27 juveniles had tied for the fastest furlong work at 9 4/5 seconds. Those included four by Into Mischief, expected to play a major role at the sale on Tuesday and Wednesday, and three from the first crop of his multiple Grade 1-winning son Practical Joke. No other stallion had more than two in the sizeable bullet group.

Into Mischief, who rose to prominence as a perennial leading juvenile sire, has claimed consecutive leading general sire titles, including last year when he set a single-season earnings record for a North American sire. His current 2-year-olds represent his first crop conceived on a six-figure stud fee, and the continued broodmare quality that goes along with that. His fee rose to $100,000 from $75,000 at Spendthrift Farm for 2018.

Into Mischief's quartet of bullet workers at OBS included a filly out of Grade 1-placed Topic, from the immediate family of dual classic winner and champion Afleet Alex. She is consigned by Kings Equine, as agent. Rounding out the group are a colt out of multiple stakes winner Minks Aprise, consigned by Top Line Sales, as agent; a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Tricky Escape, consigned by de Meric Sales, as agent; and a filly consigned by Gene Recio, as agent.

Into Mischief's son Practical Joke, who resides at Coolmore's Ashford Stud, is among the most-anticipated freshman sires of this season. The young stallion won the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes and Grade 1 Champagne Stakes as a juvenile; he added the Grade 1 King's Bishop Stakes at 3.

Practical Joke's trio that tied with his sire and others for the bullet works are led by a filly out of Peruvian champion Valiant Emma, consigned by Top Line, as agent. He was also represented by quick-working colts consigned as agent by Kings Equine and McKathan Bros., respectively.

In addition to Practical Joke, seven other freshmen were represented in the bullet-furlong group, with colts by Gormley, Ocean Knight, and Unified, and fillies by American Freedom, Cupid, Midnight Storm, and Mohaymen.

Nyquist, last year's leading freshman sire, had two fillies from his second crop work bullet furlongs, and third-crop sire Carpe Diem had a colt and a filly in the group. Rounding out the group were colts by Cairo Prince, Chitu, Kantharos, Pioneerof the Nile, and Violence, and fillies by Blame, Daredevil, Fast Anna, and Frosted.

Freshman sire Unified, a multiple graded stakes winner standing at Lane's End, also had a breakout breeze show. In addition to his colt tied for the bullet furlong, he was represented by one of the three juveniles tied for the fastest quarter-mile work at 20 4/5 seconds. A colt out of stakes winner Promise Me a Cat worked the distance in that bullet time for Wavertree Stables, as agent.

Wavertree also consigns a Nyquist filly who tied for the fastest quarter for her leading freshman sire. The filly is a half-sister to two stakes-placed runners, and is from the family of Canadian champion Negligee. Rounding out the trio with the bullet quarter was a Kantharos colt consigned by Woodford Thoroughbreds, as agent.

For complete results from the breeze show, click here:
https://www.obssales.com/marpreview/2021/