Breeding


Robicheaux Ranch, Inc. and Spendthrift Farm Announce Exclusive Opportunity
The leading Thoroughbred General Sire of 2019, Into Mischief will be available to Quarter Horse mares in 2020.

© Courtesy Spendthrift Farm
Robicheaux Ranch, Inc. and Spendthrift Farm Announce Exclusive Opportunity

BREAUX BRIDGE, LA—NOVEMBER 19, 2019—Robicheaux Ranch, Inc. in partnership with Spendthrift Farm of Lexington, Kentucky have announced an exclusive opportunity for Quarter Horse mares to breed to two of the world's leading Thoroughbred Stallions in 2020.

"We were approached by Bill Heiligbrodt and Steve Asmussen about making Mitole available to Quarter Horse mares," said Mark Toothaker, stallion seasons manager at Spendthrift Farm, a leading Thoroughbred stallion operation in North America.

"It's not something we’ve ever done before, so we reached out to one of the most successful Quarter Horse operations, Robicheaux Ranch, to guide us through the process and to handle it on our behalf.," Toothaker said.

"Through those discussions, Into Mischief’s name came up and we decided we would also make him available to the Quarter Horse community. Obviously, he’s the No. 1 Thoroughbred sire in North America and can get an extremely fast and classy racehorse. We will be collecting and freezing the semen soon in order not to interrupt either stallion from their full books for the upcoming Thoroughbred breeding season," he added.

Into Mischief, the leading Thoroughbred General Sire of 2019, and Mitole, 4-time Grade 1 winner including the 2019 Breeders' Cup Sprint(G1) at Santa Anita Park last month, will be offered to Quarter Horses through this unprecedented arrangement between Robicheaux Ranch and Spendthrift Farm.

"So many legends in our industry come from a Thoroughbred/Quarter Horse cross (such as leading sires Dash For Cash, Easy Jet, Chicks Beduino, Favorite Cartel and Jess Good Candy)," Robicheaux Ranch manager Ryan Robicheaux said today.

"We need to make more of an effort to reintroduce Thoroughbred bloodlines back into our breed to increase endurance, longevity and a badly needed out-cross for our Quarter Horse mares. Into Mischief and Mitole are two once in-a-lifetime opportunities to do that," he added.

INTO MISCHIEF

Into Mischief ($597,080), a Grade 1 winning son of Harlan's Holiday, will stand for $175,000, live foal to Thoroughbred mares in 2020. Quarter Horses mare will be afforded the opportunity breeding with frozen semen at Robicheaux Ranch for a 2020 fee of $10,000.

From 8 crops to reach racing age, Into Mischief has sired 20 graded stakes winner, 45 black type winners, 5 millionaires, 3 champions with earners of nearly $60 million. His top performers include Grade 1 winners Goldencents (7 wins, $3,044,000), Audible (5 wins, $2,130,520), Practical Joke ( 5 wins, $1,795,800), Covfefe ( 6 wins, $1,110,025), Mia Mischief (8 wins, $1,083,834), Grade 2 winners Vyjack, (8 wins, $1,427,600), Vicar's In Trouble (4 wins, $1,228,2920, etc.

Into Mischief's sire Harlan's Holiday ($3,632,664, Florida Derby [G1], etc.) is the sire 95 black-type winners, 6 champions, and earning of more than $86.6 million.

Into Mischief is out of the stakes winner and Broodmare of the Year Leslie's Lady ($187,014), by Tricky Creek. She is the dam of 6 winners, 3 grade 1 winners and 1 champion including four-time Champion Beholder ($6,156,600), Breeders' Cup Turf[G1] winner Mendelssohn ($2,542,137), Grade 1 winner Into Mischief (see above), etc.

The second dam is multiple stakes producing Crystal Lady, a Stop the Music half-sister to stakes winners MALCOHA ($414,211), MELANYHASTHEPAPERS ($311,152.), and stakes-placed Bucking Bird ($406,572.),and One Last Colony ($67,932).

MITOLE

Four-time Grade 1 winner Mitole will stand his first season in 2020 at Spendthrift Farms where he has been booked full at $25,000. Quarter Horses mare can breed to the #1 Sprinter in North America with frozen semen at Robicheaux Ranch for a 2020 fee of $4,000.

Recording his fourth grade 1 victory of the year Nov. 2, Mitole stalked the pace and delivered down the lane to catch Shancelot in an exciting renewal of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita Park. Ricardo Santana Jr. was aboard for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Mitole wins the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita Park.
© Anne M. Eberhardt
Mitole, a 4-year-old son of Eskendereya owned by William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, won the Breeders' Cup Sprint by 1-¼ lengths, racing six furlongs in 1:09 on a fast track

. Bred in Kentucky by Edward Cox Jr., Mitole is out of Indian Miss, by Indian Charlie. The Breeders' Cup Sprint marked his sixth win from seven starts this year, and essentially assured himself the Eclipse Award as the top male sprinter. In April, Mitole won the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn Park and followed with a 3-½ length score in the Churchill Downs Stakes(G1) going seven furlongs. His signature win came June 8 at Belmont Park when he held off the late run of McKinzie in the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1).

Mitole, under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., following his win in the $1.2 million Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.
© Courtesy Belmont Park
Mitole came back quickly in the July 27 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and finished a tiring third while being pinned down along the inside throughout the six-furlong race. He redeemed himself with a three-length win over Firenze Fire in the Forego Stakes(G1) at the Saratoga on the Travers Day undercard.

Mitole has compiled a (14) 10-2-2 record, all coming at one mile or less. He has earned more than $3.1 million.

Asmussen, whose was raised in the Quarter Horse industy, did a masterful job of keeping Mitole in top form all year. In advance of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the horse had five works over the Santa Anita surface, including a bullet :58 4/5 Oct. 22.

"The term 'brilliance' gets used a lot in this business, but there aren't many horses in recent history that have shown as much consistent brilliance as Mitole," Ned Toffey, Spendthrift Farm general manager told Bloodhorse.com earlier this year.

For additional information or breeding contacts contact Ryan at 337-845-5130 or 337-288-2421.