Into Mischief is Leading Sire by Breeders' Cup Starters

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story included horses pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup. It has been updated to include all final entries and also-eligibles.

It's an embarrassment of riches for Spendthrift Farm's marquee sire Into Mischief , the leading North American sire of 2019 and current leading sire, who also has the most progeny entered in the Nov. 6-7 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland.

The 15-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday is represented by nine potential starters among 177 horses that have either been selected to fill the Breeders' Cup races' 14-horse fields or were among the also-eligibles for oversubscribed races. If all nine horses start, it will set a personal best for Into Mischief whose largest number of starters in a single Breeders' Cup was five in 2019.

Into Mischief's highest-profile contender is Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Authentic in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). The 3-year-old will have his work cut out for him, facing older horses for the first time. One of those older contenders is multiple grade 2 winner By My Standards, who is a grandson of Into Mischief through two-time Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner and Spendthrift stallion Goldencents .

The other potential Into Mischief starters include Owendale in the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), Frank's Rockette in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), Gamine in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), Into Mystic in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), Abarta and Mutassabeq in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T), Dayoutoftheoffice in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), and Into the Sunrise in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T).

Four sires have the second-largest representation in the World Championships with five each. They are Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa's Curlin , Gaineway's Tapit , Ashford Stud's Uncle Mo , and Claiborne Farm's War Front .

Curlin, who won the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge, has been represented by five starters in two previous Breeders' Cups—2016 and 2017. He sired a Breeders' Cup winner in 2017 when his son Good Magic  won the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and in 2019 when Vino Rosso  won the Classic. His contenders this year include Global Campaign  in the Classic, Point of Honor in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), Sally's Curlin in the Filly & Mare Sprint, King Fury in the TVG Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, and Chaos Theory, who is an also-eligible for the Turf Sprint.

Tapit also has had five starters in three separate Breeders' Cups—2011, 2013, and 2016. The three-time-leading North American sire and son of Pulpit has sired three Breeders' Cup winners since 2008, with his most recent winner Untapable taking the 2014 Distaff. In this year's Breeders' Cup, Tapit is represented by Tacitus in the Classic, Valiance in the Distaff, Silver Dust in the Dirt Mile, Essential Quality in the Juvenile, and Thoughtfully in the Juvenile Fillies.

Uncle Mo, already the sire of a Breeders' Cup winner in 2015 Juvenile winner Nyquist , will have his largest representation in a single Breeders' Cup with five. He is the sire of two in the Juvenile Turf Sprint—Golden Pal and Lipizzaner—and will have Girl Daddy in the Juvenile Fillies, Harvest Moon in the Distaff, and Yaupon in the Sprint.

War Front is among six stallions whose progeny have made 40 or more starts in the Breeders' Cup and one of eight sires with more than 30 unique starters in the World Championships. War Front's sire Danzig is among both groups of stallions, having sired 41 Breeders' Cup starters that competed in 49 races.

War Front's son Hit It a Bomb  won the 2015 Juvenile Turf and is now a stallion at Spendthrift. This year's contenders by War Front are Civil Union in the Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf (G1T), Halladay in the FanDuel Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T), War of Will  in the Dirt Mile, Bombard in the Turf Sprint, and Battleground in the Juvenile Turf.