Into Mischief 's reign atop North America's general sires list has included success in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and this weekend's two major prep races for that classic could go a long way toward giving him another strong hand for the Derby and the classics.
The Spendthrift Farm stalwart has finished as leading sire six straight years and that run has included a pair of Derby winners in 2020 with Authentic and 2021 with Mandaloun . For this year he already has a pair of highly regarded runners aiming to become his third Kentucky Derby winner and this weekend could see two more runners move into strong classics contention.
Into Mischief is the sire of Citizen Bull, who won last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) to lock down champion juvenile male honors. The Bob Baffert trainee opened this season with a 3 3/4-length victory in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3). His 60 Derby qualifying points are already enough to put him in the field and he's being pointed for a final Derby prep April 5.
The other Into Mischief runner to announce himself early as a contender for this year's Derby was Sovereignty, who rolled to a five-length score in the Street Sense Stakes (G3) Oct. 27 at Churchill Downs. That victory helped Sovereignty to the top of Byron King's Derby Dozen list and in his 3-year-old debut he lived up to that billing by surging late to capture the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) March 1 at Gulfstream Park.
Check out the full Kentucky Derby Point Standings
Trained by Bill Mott, Godolphin homebred Sovereignty will try to nail down his first grade 1 victory March 29 when he starts from the outside post in the Florida Derby (G1). Like Citizen Bull, Sovereignty also has 60 Derby qualifying points to date.
While those two runners have been prominent throughout this year's Road to the Kentucky Derby, Into Mischief could add to that already formidable class Saturday when two more of his talented runners start in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) and $1 million Florida Derby.
At Oaklawn Park Cornucopian will make his stakes debut off a single career start: a 5 3/4-length victory in a six-furlong maiden special weight race Feb. 23 at Oaklawn. That effort was impressive enough that Cornucopian was made the 7-5 favorite in the expected field of nine 3-year-olds for Saturday's 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby.
Also trained by Baffert, Cornucopian would figure to be one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby should he deliver a victory Saturday. The comparisons to Baffert-trained 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify would follow as Justify made his stakes debut in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), which he won after not racing at 2 and landing a maiden and allowance race ahead of his stakes debut at Santa Anita Park.
The Florida Derby also will feature an Into Mischief runner looking for his first stakes win. Tappan Street earned his maiden win three days before the close of his 2-year-old season when he posted a clear victory in a seven-furlong test at Gulfstream. Trained by Brad Cox, Tappan Street then finished second to Burnham Square in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull Stakes (G3) Feb. 1 at Gulfstream.
On the BloodHorse Monday podcast, Cox enthusiastically responded when asked how Tappan Street is doing going into his grade 1 debut.
"I love him; I think he's a very good colt," Cox said. "I'm excited about him stepping up. We're excited about giving him a chance; he's a good colt—I really believe that."
That's the kind of excitement generated by talented 3-year-olds by Into Mischief, who stands for $250,000 at Spendthrift near Lexington. In a Kentucky Derby futures pool conducted in late November in which horseplayers were asked to select the sire of the 2025 Derby winner, Into Mischief finished as the 5-1 favorite among individual betting choices.
Other Into Mischief runners who have earned Derby qualifying points and are on the Derby trail include Baffert-trained grade 2 winner Barnes, Tampa Bay Derby (G3) fourth-place finisher Patch Adams, and grade 3-placed Burning Glory.
