The son of Giant’s Causeway is locked in a deep battle with Spendthrift Farm’s multiple leading North American sire In mischief who has a backlog of nearly $97,500 in offspring as of December 16. As of November 28, Not This Time had a lead of more than $405,000, but Into Mischief runners’ wins Consequence in the Starlet Stakes (G2) and Secretly good in the Sandpiper Stakes closed the gap.
Both fathers will be represented by six runners between December 20 and 21 Fair Grounds Race Track and Slot Machines, Gulfstream Park, Remington ParkAnd Turfway Park.
The $300,000 Springboard Mile offers the richest prize among the races that will feature 2-year-old starters from either of these sires. Not This Time is represented in the Springboard by Time for music a gray or roan colt played by Mike McCarty and trained by Steve Asmussen. The colt is 9-2 in the morning line after a second-place finish in a 1-mile race on Nov. 29 at $100,000. Churchill Downs. Time for Music is the fourth winner from as many foals produced by Bling On the Music, a ranking winner of the leading Texas stallion Too Much Bling.
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A victory in the Springboard Mile would add $180,000 to Not This Time’s offspring. The father is represented by five other runners this weekend Thailand And Petronella competed in a pair of $100,000 special weights at Turfway Park and Believe in magic competed in a $102,000 race at the Turfway level. If the Not This Time runners could all win, the father could earn up to $440,464 in additional income and turn his lead into a gamble that Into Mischief can overcome.
Meanwhile, Into Mischief is represented by two starters in the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds and two runners in the $75,000 Toby Keith Stakes at Remington Park. Mr. Punch (6-1) and Quality disaster (10-1) enter the Gun Runner Stakes. They are both trained by Brad Cox and are both entering the 1 1/16-mile race on first-place wins. Finally, Mister Punch won by 4 3/4 lengths from 1 1/16 miles on Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs.
Asmussen will saddle the starters No lady (2-1) and Mojo promise (9-2) in the 1-mile Toby Keith Stakes. Not a Lady has been placed in the stakes after recently finishing second in the My Trusty Cat Stakes at Delta Downs and won an allowance race by 6 3/4 lengths at Remington Park before that race. Mojo Promise took her first victory by 6 lengths at Zia Park in her last race.
Into Mischief will also be represented by girls Villainy And Bint Mischief at Fair Grounds and Gulfstream Park, respectively.
At most, Into Mischief could add $190,110 in earnings from 2-year-olds this weekend. He would essentially need Not This Time’s runners to finish cashless in all their races to gain an advantage on the leading bull list of youngsters.
After this weekend, only five more youth stakes worth $100,000 or more are planned through the end of the year. The richest race among them is the $200,000 Blue Norther Stakes, a 1-mile grass stakes on December 27 at Santa Anita Park.
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However the weekend’s races go, neither Not This Time nor Into Mischief will leave 2025 without accolades. Not This Time has already secured the title of leading sire for North America with almost $12.7 million in progeny earnings compared to the second-placed sire of Lane’s End Spinning candy at more than $10.1 million. Not This Time also leads the turf sires rankings based on the number of winners (62), black stakes winners (17), black type performers (31), rated stakes winners (nine) and grade 1 winners (three).
Into Mischief is equally dominant on the overall list of leading sires, where he is assured of his seventh consecutive title as North America’s leading sire, a feat not accomplished since Bold Ruler in 1963-73. For a second year, the son of Harlan’s Holiday will amass a progeny worth more than $30 million in the Northern Hemisphere. He was the first North American father to cross the $30 million earnings threshold last year. The second-place Not This Time has earned more than $23.2 million in offspring as of December 18.
Aside from revenue, Into Mischief also leads the standings based on number of winners (219), number of stakes players (66), number of graded stakes winners (17) and number of grade 1 winners (five).
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