‘Excited to Showcase Him’: Warrendale has Only Colt Bred on Red-Hot Cross in Book 1

[Wandering Eyes]

When Practical Joke and Life Is Good–both by Into Mischief and out of Distorted Humor mares–each racked up multiple Grade I victories and retired to major stallion farms in Central Kentucky, the cross they share surely earned a second look. After three 3-year-olds of 2025–Eclipse champion Citizen Bull, Patch Adams, and Tappan Street–added another five combined Grade I victories to that same cross in the last 11 months, anyone savvy enough to have a yearling on offer at Keeneland's September sale on the 'Midas Touch' nick looks positively inspired.

Three of Into Mischief's Book 1 yearlings are out of Distorted Humor daughters. Warrendale Sales consigns the only colt, hip 90, who is the sole member of the trio slated to go through the ring Monday. Mulholland Springs and Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services will both send fillies Tuesday (hips 201 and 336, respectively).

“He's a lovely colt,” said Hunter Simms, a partner in Warrendale and the operation's director of bloodstock services, about hip 90. “He's bred on that really good Into Mischief/Distorted Humor cross that's produced a bunch of Grade I winners and he has the physical to boot as well. He's a nice package and we're really excited to offer him here.”

Bred by Pitlochry Partners LLC in Kentucky, the March colt is out of Repartee, who has already produced Canadian champion Munnyfor Ro (Munnings). Repartee's black-type winning dam is a half to GI Ashland Stakes winner Little Belle (A.P. Indy), who produced GI Coolmore Jenny Wiley Stakes winner Dickinson (Medaglia d'Oro). She shares a third dam with this year's GI Gamely Stakes winner Be Your Best (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}). That third dam is, of course, the tremendous Flagbird, a half to Broodmare of the Year Prospectors Delite, and a daughter of the wonderful Up the Flagpole. This particular branch of the long-time Phipps family became a Farish family and traces directly tail-female to 1961 Broodmare of the Year Striking, who was a granddaughter of La Troienne.

With that stellar family under his girth, what's the physical of the colt like?

“He looks a lot like Into Mischief and has great walk to him. He's correct,” said Simms. “In trying to match up the physical of the stallion with the physical of the mare, they were well rewarded with the horse that they got. He vets well. It's only Friday afternoon, but he's been well received for the viewers we've had come through here so far.”

Simms said Pitlochry Partners is a group of people with a handful of mares who “like to offer everything for sale. It was always the plan to sell here at Keeneland.”

He added, “They had a good sale up north a little while ago and I think September will be just as strong, if not stronger, with the international participation as well.”

With outs taken into consideration, a group of 303 elite yearlings is currently scheduled to go through the Keeneland sales ring Monday and Tuesday as part of Book 1. It will be no surprise to learn 29 of them–nearly a whooping 10% of Book 1–are by six-time leading sire Into Mischief, who secured his 26th and 27th Grade I winners last weekend at Saratoga and is poised to add another title this year. The upwardly trending Not This Time matches Into Mischief with 29 lots, as does the much-anticipated first-crop yearling sire Flightline, but no other stallion has more.

Knowing Warrendale's offering is bred on Into Mischief's well-proven cross with Distorted Humor gives Simms optimism for the colt's chances to make a little noise in a Book 1 often known for fireworks.

“We have high hopes and hopefully we tick all the boxes for everybody and we have a fun time,” said Simms. “He's a nice horse and we're excited to showcase him here this week. Fingers crossed he jumps through all the hoops for all the buyers in Book 1 and we can have a fun afternoon.”

The Keeneland September sale kicks off Monday at 1 p.m.

The post ‘Excited to Showcase Him’: Warrendale has Only Colt Bred on Red-Hot Cross in Book 1 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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