Maximus Mischief

The Fasig-Tipton October Digital Sale closed Tuesday afternoon with 100 horses sold for $1,820,000. Offerings included breeding stock, horses of racing age, yearlings, and a stallion. Racing prospect Witwatersrand (Hip 8) topped the sale when sold for $230,000 to Deputy from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for DJ Stable Graduate. A 2-year-old daughter of Connect, Witwatersrand broke her maiden on debut at Woodbine on Sept. 1 for owners DJ Stable and Quintessential Racing Florida and trainer Mark Casse. The chestnut filly was offered and sold from her...

Aaron Kennedy has enjoyed racing success on the national stage as a partner on the likes of Storm the Court and Sugar Shock, but the CEO of the Des Moines-based advertising firm Flynn Wright might have a star in his own backyard after the effortless debut victory of Glengarry (Maximus Mischief) at Prairie Meadows Monday night. "He's a big horse and he definitely knows it," Kennedy said of the imposing gray colt. Kennedy, who owns Glengarry in partnership with Toby Joseph and trainer Doug Anderson, purchased the colt for $150,000...

Let Them Watch kept her undefeated record intact while providing her freshman sire (by Into Mischief) with his first stakes winner Sunday. A 6 1/4-length maiden winner when unveiled against Florida-breds over the Gulfstream main track July 7, the bay earned favoritism again at 4-5 for her jump into stakes company. Keeping pressure up front on leader Avellino (Adios Charlie), Let Them Watch was content to sit second only momentarily and, once given her head, quickly picked up her pace to strike the front two furlongs from the money. With...

8th-Del Mar, $84,000, Msw, 7-23, 2yo, 5f, :57.71, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. RAGING TORRENT (c, 2, Maximus Mischief--Violent Wave, by Violence) received an unconvincing 9-1 chance in this maiden spot after bringing $75,000 at the OBS April Sale and was a step slow behind the field to start. In chase mode from the bell, he saved ground into the turn and fanned out wide to bid with a quarter to run. Despite Antonio Fresu losing his crop at the head of the lane, Raging Torrent needed no extra encouragement, drawing...

4th-Pimlico, $54,160, Msw, 5-25, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.90, ft, 1/2 length. KRISTINACHRYSALIS (f, 2, Maximus Mischief--Tiz Her Now, by Tiznow) notched the first winner for her freshman sire (by Into Mischief) and former 'TDN Rising Star' with a maiden-breaking score at Old Hilltop. Flashing early speed along the rail, the 9-2 chance contested the lead with 7-5 favorite Buckin' Great (Great Notion), but around the far turn the bay filly began to get away from her rival and went on to graduate by 3/4 of a length over the...

Six juveniles shared the fastest furlong time of :9 4/5 during the fifth session of the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training in Central Florida Thursday. Among the sextet was a filly by Enticed (hip 710, video) who is among the first crop of homebreds at Mario Bencomo and Alejandro Esis's New Horizon Farm in Ocala. Asked if expected a bullet work from the filly, who is the farm's lone entrant in the sale, Bencomo said, "Yes. At the farm she worked...

For the past few days, we have been hearing from top judges on whose progeny will come out of the gate flying. MIKE RYAN Top pick: Omaha Beach (War Front-Charming, by Seeking the Gold). Spendthrift Farm, 2023 fee: $30,000. My pick is Omaha Beach. There is a tremendous amount of quality and class there. He is a beautifully-bred horse. He was very fast and he got great support from the breeders and was well-supported in the sales ring. It's a close call, but he is my pick over Audible. Under-the-radar...

In Thursday's TDN, we talked to four top judges of equine talent who had a divergence of opinion on who this year's leading first-crop sire would be. Who comes out on top in this edition? EDDIE ROSEN Top Pick: Vino Rosso (Curlin--Mythical Bride, by Street Cry {Ire}). Spendthrift Farm, 2023 fee: $15,000. Full disclosure, as a member of Team Repole that selected and raced Vino Rosso, I am obviously biased. However, I sincerely believe he will be the leading freshman sire. While he, as a Curlin, was slow-maturing and peaked...

From this year's class, which freshman sire will emerge on top? And what sire currently flying under the radar will be the year's biggest surprise? With 2-year-old sales season upon us, over the next few days, we will be hearing from some of the experts. NIALL BRENNAN Top Pick: Vino Rosso (Curlin--Mythical Bride, by Street Cry {Ire}). Spendthrift Farm, 2023 fee: $15,000. The Mitoles were popular at the yearling sales and they sold well at the OBS March sale. They look like they will be early types. There will be...

With the 2-year-old sales season having kicked off and the first 'baby' races of the year ready to get going in a few weeks, laser focus will be placed on the up-and-coming first-crop stallions. Rightfully so, as we all hunt in earnest for the next breakout young sire. Could there possibly be another Gun Runner in the freshman class of 2023? A total of 16 young guns in North America have 50 or more current 2-year-olds resulting from their first covers in 2020. A great many more have fewer than...

A colt by Good Magic (hip 546) turned in the fastest furlong through three sessions of the four-day under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training when covering the distance in :9 3/5 Thursday in Central Florida. The bay juvenile, out of Hoppa (Uncle Mo), is consigned by Top Line Sales. "He had prepped in :10 flat over here, so we knew if the track was back to its original condition, that he had every shot of going :9 4/5," said Top Line's Torie...

No getting away from it, the young stallions we assess today have already completed their service to many breeders. They've processed a debut crop of yearlings, often on an industrial scale, and many have obliged with the kind of averages that vindicate the familiar, self-fulfilling commercial cycle that so favors new sires: demand generating supply, and the quality incidental to that increased supply in turn increasing demand. That leaves us with another tricky podium. You can't just congratulate those who have "won" on this system, topping out the first-crop yearling...