Only three months into the year Not This Time and Into Mischief are trading blows with their progeny's performances like prizefighters. We should expect this fight to go a full 15 rounds.
Taylor Made Stallions' Not This Time, a 12-year-old son of Giant's Causeway, took a substantial leap on the BloodHorse general leading sires list over the weekend when his 4-year-old son Magnitude captured the Dubai World Cup (G1). The victory, worth $6.96 million, raised Magnitude's year-to-date earnings to $7,252,500 and sprang Not This Time to the top of the sire standings with $10,372,509 in progeny earnings.
If Not This Time's runners produce comparable results to 2025, when the sire finished second on the general leading sires list, then the stallion is on track to finish the year with more than $31 million in progeny earnings.
Will this early lead be enough of a cushion to dethrone Spendthrift Farm's seven-time leading North American sire Into Mischief at year's end? Not necessarily.
Into Mischief, a 21-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday, has faced similar challenges from accomplished sires and the depth of his runners' abilities has managed to put him back on top every year since 2019.
During Into Mischief's seven-year run as leading sire, four Dubai World Cup winners have been sired by a United States-based stallion. They include Mystic Guide (by Ghostzapper in 2021), Country Grammer (Tonalist , 2022), and Hit Show (Candy Ride , 2025). In 2024, Into Mischief gained the World Cup advantage when his then-6-year-old son Laurel River won as a homebred for Juddmonte Farms.
In 2022, Into Mischief actually faced stiffer competition from Quality Road , who sired inaugural Saudi Cup (G1) winner Emblem Road. The Saudi Cup victory awarded $10 million to Emblem Road. Into Mischief ended 2022 with $28,122,550 in progeny earnings on the BloodHorse leading sires list, while second-placed Quality Road had $20,828,160.
Quality Road's runners in 2022 averaged $82,651 in earnings compared with Into Mischief's $59,456, but Into Mischief sired 236 winners from 473 runners compared to Quality Road who sired 143 winners from 252 runners. Tonalist would finish as the fourth-leading sire that year. Both Quality Road and Tonalist stand at Lane's End.
Not This Time will provide stiff competition for Into Mischief throughout this year.
Last year, Not This Time finished second on the general leading sires list with $24,360,423 in earnings. He was 2025's leading North American sire by number of black-type winners with 31 and the leading sire by average earnings per runner at $82,578.
From April through December of last year, Not This Time's runners earned nearly $21.4 million. If his runners earn at least that during the same period of time this year, he'll end the year around a projected $32 million.
If Into Mischief's runners mirror what they earned from April to December last year, when they collected nearly $26.8 million in purses, then Into Mischief could potentially pass Not This Time with projected earnings of $34.1 million.
Into Mischief and Not This Time have already signaled that the competition for leading sire will be a dogfight.
On the same day Magnitude delivered a stunning victory over 2025 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Forever Young, Into Mischief was represented by Florida Derby (G1) winner Commandment and Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Renegade. Getting a winner in the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1), which pays $3.1 million to the winner, would certainly take a bite out of the World Cup earnings advantage.
The leading sire title ultimately may be resolved this fall during the Breeders' Cup World Championships that will be held Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland.
| Projected 2026 Progeny Earnings for Not This Time and Into Mischief | ||||||
| 2026 Rank* |
Sire / Sire's Sire (YOB) | 2026 Stud Fee / Farm | Chief Earner (Earnings) |
Progeny Earnings (Avg. per Rnr) |
'25 April-Dec. Earnings |
'26 Projected Earnings |
| 1 | Not This Time | $250,000 | Magnitude | $10,372,509 | $21,353,936 | $31,726,445 |
| Giant's Causeway (2014) | Taylor Made Stallions, KY | $7,252,500 | $65,649 | |||
| 2 | Into Mischief | $250,000 | Imagination | $7,349,691 | $26,798,173 | $34,147,864 |
| Harlan's Holiday (2005) | Spendthrift Farm, KY | $1,200,000 | $33,107 | |||
* Rank on BloodHorse general leading sires list as of March 30
