Saturday, September 9, was officially Spendthrift Farm Day. Missed the memo? Not to worry – Spendthrift goes on innovating, with its fabulous cast of young stallions and its ways of getting breeders involved with them, getting them large books of mares to make them competitive and commercial. Mr. Hughes, the owner of Spendthrift, has done more for the little guy breeder than any other farm owner, so it’s only right that he should reap the rewards. And the rewards were plentiful on September 9.
The boutique turf meet that is Kentucky Downs had a two-year-old stakes winner by a son of Indian Charlie. No, not that one – not Uncle Mo. Instead, Moonlight Romance, winner of the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint S., is by Liaison, Spendthrift’s second crop sire who has acquitted himself well enough to be number 14 on the leading second crop sires list. Moonlight Romance is even a Spendthrift bred, and out of a Malibu Moon mare, who himself stands at Spendthrift and is a leading sire annually. Trained by Wesley Ward for Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey, Moonlight Romance has started four times, with two wins and one second, for earnings of $358,800. Liaison, though not the monument to equine kind that Uncle Mo is (nothing compares with Uncle Mo in terms of stunning, statuesque good looks), is a beautiful young horse, who looks like another stallion to further Indian Charlie’s line.
The leading first crop sires list reveals more Spendthrift dominance—their son of Into Mischief, Goldencents, is number one on this list, and number two is the handsome son of Unbridled’s Song, Cross Traffic. His daughter, Dancin Shoes, went off at 39-1 in her first start, the British Columbia Cup Debutante S., which she won easily, causing her odds to shorten up in the Sadie Diamond Futurity at Hastings Racecourse on Saturday, which she also dominated, making her two wins in two starts, both black type. Unbridled’s Song has thus far not proved to be a great sire of sires, which is surprising given his ability to get stakes winners himself, but perhaps Cross Traffic will be that special son.
Given that the most highly anticipated movie of the fall is the latest version of “A Star Is Born,” allow me to dub Into Mischief into the equine category of that name. No one could have foreseen his rocketing ascension into the stellar category of leading sires, but there he is, fourth on the list, ahead of Tapit and Curlin, behind only Candy Ride, Kitten’s Joy and Scat Daddy. Spendthrift’s management of Into Mischief has been nothing short of brilliant, and Saturday proved that, with two stakes winners. First, in the Arlington-Washington Lassie S., at Arlington, Into Trouble took the seven-furlong event with ease. With her California-bred dams’ side (first dam by Bertrando), her price may have seemed steep at Keeneland September 2017, at $180,000, but she now appears to have been a bargain in her first black type success.
Then, at the Beverly J. Lewis S. at Los Alamitos, the hilariously named Gas Station Sushi, a three-year-old filly by Into Mischief, took home the grand prize. Also a Spendthrift home bred, she fetched $90,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September, and $240,000 as a two-year-old in training at OBS March, and has hit the board in all four of her starts, winning three of them, including a graded stakes race.
Gas Station Sushi were bred at Spendthrift prior to Into Mischief’s super stardom. Now that his book is likely filled with spectacular mares (Zenyatta was bred to him this year), the expectation that his offspring will only get better and more successful must be indulged. Congratulations to Spendthrift and B. Wayne Hughes—it couldn’t happen to more generous connections. Mr. Hughes has made wonderful young stallions available to breeders via various innovative means, has created his own stakes races for Spendthrift bred two-year olds at Churchill Downs, and throws the best party in the Bluegrass every year, on the dark day of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Long may he reign.
— Roberta Smoodin