Spendthrift Farm's two-time leading North American stallion Into Mischief continued his reign at the top of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale sire standings, exiting Book 2 with a personal-best average of $532,073 for the sale's opening week.
The 16-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday was represented by three of the week's 15 seven-figure horses. Mt. Brilliant sold two of these three: a colt out of the Hard Spun winner Superioritycomplex for $1.35 million to Winchell Thoroughbreds and a $1 million colt out of grade 3-placed, stakes winner Secret Someone (A.P. Indy) to bloodstock agent Mike Ryan. Bluewater Sales sold the third yearling, $1.25 million filly out of grade 1 winner Embellish the Lace (Super Saver) bought by Spendthrift.
Into Mischief's first-week September sale average is up 2.8% from last year's comparable average of $517,333 and up an astounding 46% from his $363,871 average in 2018.
Ned Toffey, general manager for Spendthrift, said he wasn't surprised to see Into Mischief's Keeneland September average continue to rise.
"Every step along the way, we have continued to see the results improve. They were pretty spectacular from the start, but as the book quality has gotten better, the results have followed," Toffey said. "What has been remarkable is how consistent he is. Whether you are breeding him to lower-level mares or stakes mares, they are good-minded horses with all kinds of aptitudes. We are starting to see a few more of the bigger, scopey types as the mare quality has improved."
As evidence of his consistency, Into Mischief has been the leading North American sire by number of winners since 2018 when 180 of his runners graced the winner's circle. He led again with 216 winners in 2019, with 189 winners in 2020, and is the current leading sire with 200 winners so far during 2021.
Into Mischief was the leading sire by progeny earnings in 2019 and 2020, setting a single-season progeny earnings record for a North American sire of $22,422,602 (Northern Hemisphere racing only).
Among the first-crop yearling sires, Ashford Stud's 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify squeaked out a position at the top of his sire class ranking with a $447,870 average. Essentially even with him in the second spot was Lane's End's City of Light at $447,679. Justify had a stronger median, however, at $412,500 compared with City of Light at $385,000.
John Gunther and his daughter, Tanya, who run Glennwood Farm near Versailles, Ky., bred Justify and supported him during his first year at stud with three high-quality mares whose foals were offered during the sale's first week. They included a $725,000 filly out of Grazie Mille, who is the dam of grade 1 winner Motown; and, a $675,000 colt out of multiple graded stakes winner Tiger Moth. The third foal, a $185,000 buy-back, is a filly out of the Dixie Union mare Fact File, who is a half sister to grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner Honorable Duty and whose granddam is 2002 Broodmare of the Year Toussaud.
The Gunthers said they were impressed with what Justify produced in his first crop.
"They had good bone and had tremendous mental attitudes. Ours were easy to work with and easy to be around. I find them very special," said John Gunther. "We bred three mares to him his first year and bred another five mares to him this spring, so we are very high on him."
"In our own group," added Tanya Gunther, who plans the matings, "he may not always throw his color, but I see a physique about them—a bit of size and structure of how he looks stamped in ours. He was such a physical specimen; we were excited to see that in ours."
The Gunthers were more than pleased with the prices and the buyers for the two Justify yearlings they sold. Mayberry Farm bought the Grazie Mille filly, while WinStar Farm's Maverick Racing bought the colt out of Tiger Moth. WinStar raced Justify in partnership with China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, and at one point SF Racing.
"When you have produced a couple that you would have been happy to race yourself and then others see the same thing and pay good money for them, then you feel pretty confident about the stallion," said Tanya Gunther. "Those mares are from good producing families; they are hard-knocking types that want to get the job done. We would love to have his first grade or group winner. How exciting would that be?"
Justify had one seven-figure yearling, a $1.55 million colt out of the stakes-placed, multiple stakes producer True Feelings that Stonehaven Steadings bred and sold to Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds.
Lane's End had the week's second-highest ranked sire by average on the overall list, too, with Quality Road at $519,667. Into Mischief and Quality Road were the only sires with averages above $500,000 and were tied by median at $500,000.
Quality Road's progeny have been extraordinarily well received in the 2021 yearling market. He came into the Keeneland September sale with an average of $635,714, the highest among all North American sires from the earlier summer sales.
David Ingordo, who heads Lane's End Bloodstock, noted earlier this week that the market is reacting to the increasingly better mares sent to Quality Road over the last three years. The yearlings of 2021 were bred on a $150,000 fee. The son of Elusive Quality's fee went to $200,000 for 2020—the year after he was the leading North American sire by number of grade 1 winners—and then was adjusted down to $150,000 due to the economic disruptions of COVID-19.
"(Even at the lowered fee) the quality of mares he's gotten are on par with anyone in the country. You are seeing the results of those better mares," said Ingordo. "Most important is that he produces on the racetrack."
Bill Farish with Lane's End said what stood out for him with the September sale week-one Quality Road yearlings is their depth of quality.
"Until you see each individual horse, you don't know the depth of what's out there," Farish said. "That is what has been so impressive to me is the number of nice horses. Not just the million dollar-plus ones, either, but the $400,000, $500,000, $600,000 ones just over and over."
Out of 30 sold during Keeneland September's Book 1 and Book 2, 12 (40%) Quality Road yearlings sold for between $500,000 and $775,000.
"When a stud fee goes up and the numbers don't change, then you know people are breeding their quality mares," Farish continued. "It is obviously a riskier proposition when you are putting up $200,000 for a season, so you're going to be sure you breed a mare that justifies that. So what we are seeing in the sales are the results—really attractive individuals."
Quality Road was represented by two seven-figure horses. Eaton Sales, as agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, sold a $1.6 million colt out of multiple graded stakes producer Catch the Moon to Woodford Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds. Dixiana Farms sold a colt it bred for $1.15 million out of the stakes-placed English Channel mare Brielle's Appeal, who is a half sister to grade 1-placed, multiple graded stakes winner Authenticity.
City of Light fell a hair short by average to Justify but he was the leading first-crop yearling sire by number of seven-figure horses with two. His top seller, a $1.7 million colt out of the stakes-placed Tapit mare Anchorage, was the highest-priced yearling for the week. The colt was bred and sold by Rosilyn Polan's Sunday Morning Farm and bought by Talla Racing, Woodford Racing, and West Point Thoroughbreds. The sire's second seven-figure sale was a $1.05 million colt out of the winning Ghostzapper mare and stakes producer Ghostslayer. Woods Edge Farm bred and sold the colt to West Bloodstock, which bought him on behalf of Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable.
"We heard a lot of mixed things leading up to the sale, but then you got on the grounds and it was a very different result," said Farish. "He got a very good book his first year, and the numbers speak for themselves."
