Paulick Report: Stallion Spotlight Presented By NYTB: Looking Back On Honest Mischief's Freshman Sire Season

Honest Mischief, a son of Into Mischief, was New York's leading freshman sire and a top-10 freshman in North America in 2024.

Stallion Spotlight offers stud farm representatives a chance to address breeders and answer questions as they plan their future matings.

In this installment, Carlos Manresa of Sequel New York looks back on the freshman sire season of Honest Mischief, who was the Empire State's leading first-crop sire of 2024, and the eight-leading freshman in all of North America.

Question: Honest Mischief finished 2024 as New York’s leading freshman sire, and eighth nationally. To what do you attribute his success in his debut season?

Carlos Manresa, Sequel New York: Without a doubt, our breeders play the most important role in Honest Mischief’s success. He garnered a great deal of support from both New York breeders and Kentucky breeders alike, not only because of his pedigree and speed, but also due to his impressive physical conformation. We are incredibly proud of what he has accomplished thus far but cannot wait to see what the future holds.

On that note, what does it mean to have Honest Mischief finish eighth nationally in the freshman sire standings, ahead of some notable rookies in Kentucky?

Manresa: It is an incredible accomplishment for a stallion in a regional market to break into the top 10 nationally with the limited number of mares available. More than ever, breeders are looking for value and we are fortunate to offer a proven son of Into Mischief at a fee that makes him accessible to virtually all breeders.

What will you remember most about Honest Mischief’s 2024 campaign?

Manresa: Sacrosanct really became the poster child for Honest Mischief this year, and following his undefeated 2-year-old season was amazing, but to see five stakes-placed horses and over 40 percent winners is unbelievable. It shows that he really is a legitimate stallion delivering at an impressive level to a wide array of breeders, rather than having a single breakout horse.

Honest Mischief’s juveniles posted the third-fastest average breeze show time for an eighth among all sires during last year’s 2-year-old sale season. Was that something you expected, and what did that early speed tell you about what to expect from him commercially and on the racetrack?

Manresa: Early speed is always comforting when you stand a young stallion. We trained a handful of Honest Mischiefs in Ocala and were very pleased with what we were seeing at the farm. At the 2-year-old sales, we saw some excellent breezes which gave all of our breeders a lot of confidence but ultimately, the ability for breezes to translate to the racetrack is what sets everyone apart. Honest Mischief delivered results which we expect will give him even more credibility during the 2025 2-year-old sale season.

Sacrosanct was Honest Mischief’s leading earner from his freshman class, and a three-time stakes winner. How does he fit what you’ve come to expect from an Honest Mischief runner?

Manresa: Sacrosanct was a “home team” horse that we bred with Burleson Farms and Mckenzie Bloodstock which made his success even more special. We also trained him until he was sold for $260,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. He is an excellent representative for Honest Mischief. He is good minded and very well balanced.

Now that we’ve seen a season of them on the track, where do you project the preferred surface and distance to be for Honest Mischief’s runners?

Manresa: Dirt appears to be the preferred surface for most of his progeny, though he does have a maiden special weight winner on turf. In terms of distance, his offspring have been very successful at distances between seven and eight furlongs. We’ll see how that develops now as the horses continue to mature.

Similarly, now that we’ve seen his first foals reach age three, what have you come to expect from Honest Mischief’s runners from a physical development standpoint?

Manresa: We expect a continuation of the impressive performances we've seen so far. These horses are primarily built for speed, with the pedigree to excel on the dirt.

Was there anything about Honest Mischief’s 2024 output that surprised you?

Manresa: Forty percent winners. That is a success rate that any stallion farm, regardless of region, would be thrilled with. This figure highlights Honest Mischief’s ability to produce high-quality offspring that consistently perform well on the track.

What do you hope to see from Honest Mischief and his runners in 2025?

Manresa: In 2025, we are optimistic that Honest Mischief will continue to establish himself as a promising young sire, producing racehorses capable of competing at the highest levels of the sport. His pedigree and early successes suggest he has the potential to sire top-tier athletes, and we look forward to seeing his progeny make an impact on the track, building on his reputation as a sire of distinction.