Into Mischief

Cherie DeVaux unleashed a classy gentleman on Churchill Downs Friday afternoon, and Englishman (Maxfield) strolled in to clock a blistering time as well as securing 'Rising Star' honors. Away from the blocks quickly, and out to control the tempo, he was tracked closely for most of the race by Tagermeen (Into Mischief), who has now run in three straight races against eventual 'TDN Rising Stars'--namely Curtain Call (Tiz the Law) and Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) in his prior two jumps. The latter won the GI Spendthrift Farm Hopeful Stakes while...

LEXINGTON, KY -- The Keeneland September Yearling Sale marched into Book 3 Saturday with no signs of slackening of its torrid pace as the auction's fifth session continued to produce double-digit gains over last year's figures. During the opening Book 3 session, 278 yearlings sold for $61,799,000. The session average was $222,299--up 26.69% from last year's corresponding figure--and the median of $300,000 was up 20%. The buy-back rate ticked down to 26.43% from 28.62% a year ago. "Today marks the fifth consecutive session in which we've set a record, an...

After a dark day Friday, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale picked up right where it had left off when a colt by Into Mischief (hip 1197) brought a final bid of $2 million early in Saturday's fifth session of the 12-day auction. Bloodstock agent Justin Casse signed the ticket on behalf of Coolmore, White Birch Farm, and John Oxley. Consigned by Gainesway, the bay colt is out of the unraced Miss Jessica J (Empire Maker), who is a half-sister to champion Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) and multiple stakes winner Danzatrice (Dunkirk),...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses: Sunday, September 14, 2025 6th-HSN, ¥14,250,000 ($97k), Newcomer, 2yo, 1800m WAYNY SU (c, 2, Into Mischief--Cariba, by Cairo Prince) is set to become the second starter for her Caress Stakes-winning dam, a full-sister to 'TDN Rising...

4th-BAQ, $85K, Msw, 2yo, 6fT, 2:37 p.m. ET. A $500,000 grad from the Fasig-Tipton October Yearling sale, FOURTH DIMENSION (Not This Time) makes his first start for Wathnan and trainer Bill Mott. Initially going for $200,000 during Keeneland January, the dark bay is out of Aureum (Medaglia d'Oro), who was a 220,000gns purchase at the 2021 Tattersalls July sale by Blandford Bloodstock. Aureum--who also produced current filly 3-year-old in-training Loveontheleftbank (Invincible Spirit {Ire})--is herself a half-sister to MGISP Nemoralia (More Than Ready), the dam of GII Lake Placid Stakes heroine...

5th-CD, 120k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 2:45 p.m. ET Our Forefathers (Constitution), a $1.2-million KEESEP yearling purchase by the Searing family's C R K Stable, makes his career debut for trainer Peter Eurton. The chestnut was produced by the Street Sense mare Via Veritas, who hails from the extended female family of GISWs Magnum Moon, Harmony Lodge, et al. Luis Saez rides. The deep field of 12 also includes: Tiz Authority (Tiz the Law), an $825,000 OBS April breezer debuting for Flatland Racing Stable and trainer Chris Hartman; and fellow firster...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis, and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which opened with a record-setting session Monday, continued with an action-packed second Book 1 session Tuesday, establishing yet another September session record average and median. Twenty horses sold for $1 million or more during the session, led by a colt by Gun Runner and a filly by Flightline who brought matching $2.2 million price tags. "It was a good day at the sale, for sure," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "We built on what...

by Jessica Martini, Christina Bossinakis and Jill Williams LEXINGTON, KY - Led by a $3.3-million son of Gun Runner, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale powered through a record-setting opening session Monday in Lexington. When the dust had settled after the first of two elite Book 1 sessions, 106 yearlings had sold for $69,240,000. The average was $653,208--the highest ever at a single September session--and the median was $537,500. With just 28 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 20.90%. Those figures are ahead of last year's opening session, when...

Twelve months after his full-brother--now named Boom Bap Beat--fetched $1.25 million in this sales pavilion, hip 76, a colt by Into Mischief out of 2019 GII Black-Eyed Susan Stakes winner Point of Honor (Curlin), one-upped his sibling when the hammer dropped at $1.5 million during Monday's opening session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington. Coolmore and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm was the successful bidder. A Feb. 15 foal, the bay colt was bred by Jon Clay's Alpha Delta Stable, and is the second of three foals from...

When Practical Joke and Life Is Good--both by Into Mischief and out of Distorted Humor mares--each racked up multiple Grade I victories and retired to major stallion farms in Central Kentucky, the cross they share surely earned a second look. After three 3-year-olds of 2025--Eclipse champion Citizen Bull, Patch Adams, and Tappan Street--added another five combined Grade I victories to that same cross in the last 11 months, anyone savvy enough to have a yearling on offer at Keeneland's September sale on the 'Midas Touch' nick looks positively inspired. Three...

Maybe Ned Toffey should have presented the trophy to himself. Or perhaps the horse should have presented it to him. Because the Thoroughbred is generally here to confuse us, and yet here was one that seemed to be obeying a transparent and coherent destiny: Ted Noffey, dominating a GI Hopeful Stakes sponsored by Spendthrift for the first time, welcomed into the winner's circle by Ted Bates Farm Manager of the Year Ned Toffey. For good measure, the equivalent prize for fillies had the previous day been won by Tommy Jo,...

On paper, it appeared to be the battle of the 'TDN Rising Star's in Saratoga's closing day feature, the GI Hopeful Stakes. Come race day, it appeared to be more of a procession as Spendthrift Farm's Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) made it look like his rivals were tied to a post as he rolled home a commanding 8 1/2-length winner in only his second lifetime start for trainer Todd Pletcher, who was winning his fourth Hopeful. Smooth as silk out of the gate, Ted Noffey, sent off the 7-2 third...