Mt. Brilliant Sells Standout Into Mischief Colt for $1M

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan went to battle on the fourth day of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale to secure a son of Into Mischief   out of the grade 3-placed, stakes-winning A.P. Indy  mare, Secret Someone , for $1 million.

Mt. Brilliant Broodmares bred the mare, Secret Someone, winner of the Lady Canterbury Stakes and Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes and third in the Modesty Handicap (G3T), all in 2016, before joining the broodmare band for Greg Goodman. The mare is a full sister to stakes-placed Profetiza  and Gift List, by Bernardini  , dam of grade 1 stakes winner Dunbar Road , by Quality Road  .

Consigned as Hip 874 by Mt. Brilliant Farm, the Lexington operation has had an exceptional sale thus far with cumulative receipts of $5,115,000, with four more horses to sell on Sept. 16. Breeder/consignor Goodman was on hand to congratulate Ryan, who purchased the colt on behalf of an undisclosed partnership. 

"We loved the horse. We put a low reserve to get the colt started because we knew he could do the work himself," said Goodman, owner of Mt. Brilliant Farm. We love his family—(second dam) Private Gift is the first really expensive horse I ever bought. I have sold a lot of the family and kept a lot of the daughters. He could not be in better hands, and I am so happy about it." Mt. Brilliant Broodmares purchased Private Gift for for $2.3 million at the 2008 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Mixed Sale from the Lane's End consignment.

"I'm very familiar with the family because a good client of mine bred Dunbar Road—I bought the dam of Dunbar Road. It's a family that I'm familiar with, and I own some mares from the family," Ryan said.

"We bid a long way on Private Mission, a three-quarter sister to this filly. She's 3-for-4; she won the Torrey Pines (G3). She could be anything, so we know the pedigree works. Hip 874 reminded me an awful lot of Practical Joke  . If he runs to his pedigree, top and bottom, sire and the female line, he's got terrific stallion potential," said Ryan. 

"He looks like a horse that hopefully would run at Saratoga next summer and strike out from there. The dam is by A.P. Indy, and the second dam is by Unbridled . Empire Maker  and Unbridled under Into Mischief has been very, very successful—Mandaloun comes to mind." "I thought he was a special colt," Ryan said. "He's got a lot of upside, and hopefully, he'll turn out lucky."

The action in the barns has been well received; Mt. Brilliant horses have seen non-stop shows. "There were so many people looking at all the horses (on preview days) that it was hard to get a handle on which one people were on. (On Wednesday) we must have shown each horse 50-70 times. He was well-received," Goodman said.

Goodman was quick to give credit to the farm crew, which has helped raise and prep the horses he represents at the sale day in and day out. "My crew are the ones who do everything. I go around and look. We have a great staff. Ninety percent of the guys on the farm have been there 15 to 20 years. Everything we have done over the 26 years is because we have great people," said Goodman.

Other purchases to date at the Keeneland September Sale by bloodstock agent Mike Ryan have come by popular stallions Candy Ride  , City of Light  , Curlin  , Gun Runner  , Into Mischief, Kitten's Joy  , Medaglia d'Oro  , Mendelssohn  , Tapit  , Twirling Candy  , Uncle Mo  , and Union Rags   to total receipts of $7,055,000 for 16 horses.