Into Mischief, More Than Ready Stand Tall After Del Mar

The Breeders' Cup has come and gone, and while we didn't see wholesale changes to North America's General Sires List, with two months left in 2024, some rankings are standing out.

Since early summer, we've assumed that Into Mischief  would once again be the top sire by progeny earnings unless an unforeseen turn of events took place. Here we are and, nope, said unforeseen events didn't happen and the son of Harlan's Holiday is on his way to his sixth year atop the list. 

Not exactly breaking news.

However, looking at how his children have performed, this has been a rather strong year compared to the last five.

While his number of runners (444) this year are the third most since 2019, as are his number of winners (223), Into Mischief has the most black-type runners (31) than he's ever had, and the percentage of black-type runners (7.0%) ties 2020 for the best over these six years.

If there is a knock against him, his number of black-type horses (54) was fifth and the percentage of black-type performers (12.2%) was tied for fifth. 

But despite only his third-most runners over the last six years, Into Mischief is one graded stakes win from matching his best (17 in 2022), and his five grade 1 winners are one shy of his best mark, set last year. 

Maybe this is burying the lead, but Into Mischief has already set a benchmark for earnings by his progeny. With two months to go, his offspring have banked $31,515,036, up from $28,122,650 in 2021, which may have been his best year statistically as a sire. 

This is something we'll look at again once the year's final numbers are in, but it's certainly an indicator that Into Mischief's reign might just be hitting its stride. 

The other thing that stands out is the latest big mover. More Than Ready, who died two years ago, climbed five spots over the last two weeks. He had some modest success in early October that helped get him back into the Top 25, but this past weekend at Del Mar he received a boost that now has him holding the No. 20 position. 

He was a good runner who competed in nine grade 1 races, posting a 1-2-1 mark. The lone win came in the 2000 King's Bishop Stakes (G1), now called the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1). 

By Southern Halo, More Than Ready stood at WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky. He was influential in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, where he had seven and six champions, respectively. 

That quality of offspring has not stopped coming up the ranks. A 4-year-old colt, More Than Looks , brought home glory Nov. 2 when he won the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T). It was a win also notable because it was the first world championship victory for trainer Cherie DeVaux. The colt is 1-2-0 from three starts this year, with runner-up honors in the Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) and Turf Mile Stakes (G1T). A 5-year-old More Than Ready mare, Saddle Up Jessie, was sixth in the Bayakoa Stakes (G3) Saturday at Del Mar. More Than Ready had another Breeders' Cup runner in Virgin Colada, who was 13th in the Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) on Future Stars Friday. 

Among his other offspring to have success recently, Depiction, who is out of the Curlin  mare Trensita, ran second for DeVaux in the Bryan Station Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland Oct. 26. Earlier in October, Spaliday won the Sands Point Stakes (G2T) and Emery won the Raven Run Stakes (G2).

In the last decade, More Than Ready has only twice finished lower than No. 7 in progeny earnings among turf sires.