An equine lineage from Manitoba, particularly one achieving Breeders’ Cup triumph, is an infrequent sight. Goldencents stands out as such an uncommon instance, being offspring of the influential stallion Into Mischief, born from a dam whose racing successes occurred solely within the claiming circuit at Winnipeg’s Assiniboia Downs. Belonging to his sire’s initial progeny, this trainee of Doug O’Neill was among the competitors instrumental in establishing his sire’s prominence, clearing a path for subsequent stars like Authentic, Covfefe, and Sovereignty.
Goldencents built his renown through successive victories in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, an accomplishment that confirmed his reputation as an exceptionally swift equine athlete and ultimately secured his position in racing lore by fathering a Kentucky Derby champion.
Modest Origins
Karyn Pirrello acquired Golden Works, then carrying a foal by Into Mischief, for a modest $7,000 at the 2007 Keeneland January all-ages sale, securing the Banker’s Gold mare at a bargain price, and in 2009, she bred her to this recently introduced stallion. Banker’s Gold boasted two graded stakes victories, while Into Mischief had just retired from racing following a Grade 1 triumph in the 2007 Cash Call Futurity at Hollywood Park and a subsequent second-place finish in the 2008 Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Park during his last race.
Pirrello bred Golden Works to Spendthrift Farm’s emerging sire and subsequently extended an offer for a share of the ensuing foal to her acquaintances, Charles and Lyra Miller of Rosecrest Farm.
On March 7, 2010, Golden Works delivered a handsome bay colt, distinguished by a right hind white sock and a facial marking featuring a white circle with a line extending to his nose. Nonetheless, when her colt passed through the 2011 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale, he fetched only $5,500 from Webb Carroll, who then re-offered the colt for resale at the 2012 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. June 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age sale. There, Golden Works’s offspring was purchased by Dennis O’Neill, brother to trainer Doug O’Neill, for $62,000, subsequently relocating to the trainer’s California stable. The colt was christened Goldencents, mirroring the rare coin website owned by his proprietors. Ownership was shared among Glenn Sorgenstein and Josh Kaplan’s W C Racing, RAP Racing – the stable belonging to renowned basketball coach Rick Pitino – and David Kenney.
Goldencents first appeared on the track September 2, 2012, in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight event at Del Mar. Piloted by Kevin Krigger and competing under assistant trainer Leandro Mora’s banner, the Into Mischief colt sprang from the gate vigorously, assumed an early lead, and was then ridden hands-only to a decisive 7 ¼-length victory. Impressed by this display, O’Neill advanced the colt to stakes competition, shipping him eastward to Belmont Park for the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes. With Krigger once more in the saddle, Goldencents initially paced the one-mile stakes race but then yielded to Shanghai Bobby approaching the quarter-pole, ultimately securing second place by five lengths. Despite Goldencents not winning, O’Neill remained resolute.
He was then transported to Delta Downs in Louisiana, where the Into Mischief colt secured his sire’s inaugural stakes victory by claiming the 1 1/16-mile Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes by 1 ¾ lengths, thereby accruing an additional 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the four previously earned from his Champagne placing. Goldencents was now prepared for a classic campaign in 2013.
Exceptional Season
Goldencents inaugurated his 3-year-old campaign in January 2013, competing in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita. Already adept at two-turn races, the bay colt navigated the one-mile challenge without difficulty, tracking pacesetter Manando until the final sixteenth before securing a 1½-length triumph under Krigger’s guidance. O’Neill then gave him a nine-week respite before the San Felipe Stakes, where Goldencents placed fourth, prior to entering him in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. In that race, he pressured Super Ninety Nine, seized the lead upon entering the stretch, and then successfully fended off the 11-10 favorite, Flashback, to claim victory by 1 ¼ lengths. With this win, he became one of Into Mischief’s initial two participants in the Kentucky Derby, joined by Vyjack in the starting gate on the opening Saturday of May.
This marked a first not just for Into Mischief, but also for Krigger, who hails from the U.S. Virgin Islands. The colt represented the jockey’s maiden ride in the Derby, presenting an opportunity for him to become the first Black jockey to win the prestigious race since Jimmy Winkfield in 1902. However, this ambition remained unfulfilled: Goldencents was prominent early in the contest but soon fell back in the field and was ultimately eased, finishing 17th out of 19 competitors. He fared somewhat better in the Preakness, ultimately concluding the race in fifth place among nine.
With his Triple Crown campaign concluded, Goldencents returned to California, where he recorded three consecutive second-place finishes in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby, Grade 2 Pat O’Brien, and Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes prior to his Breeders’ Cup attempt.
O’Neill nominated him for the Dirt Mile instead of the Sprint or the Classic, a race contested on home turf as that year’s Breeders’ Cup was hosted at Santa Anita. He competed against 10 other horses in the Dirt Mile, including Verrazano, winner of the 2013 Haskell Invitational; Alpha, the Woodward Stakes victor; Golden Ticket, who dead-heated with Alpha in the 2012 Travers Stakes; and Fed Biz, who had previously outpaced Goldencents in the Pat O’Brien. Goldencents took immediate control from the starting gate under jockey Rafael Bejarano and maintained his lead throughout, easily fending off all challengers to capture the Dirt Mile by 2 ¾ lengths.
Remarkable Follow-Up
Returning for his 4-year-old season, Goldencents commenced 2014 in June at Belmont Park, where he encountered a strong field including Vyjack, Normandy Invasion, and Palace Malice in the Metropolitan Handicap. He overtook pacesetter Broadway Empire near the quarter-pole, briefly maintained the lead, but then succumbed to Palace Malice within the final sixteenth of a mile, managing to hold on for second. O’Neill subsequently returned him to California to contest the identical trio of stakes races, aiming for a consecutive victory in the Dirt Mile, again scheduled to be run at Santa Anita Park.
He once more secured second place in the Bing Crosby, subsequently bested Fed Biz in the Pat O’Brien, and was then outpaced in the concluding strides of the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, finishing a nose behind Rich Tapestry in second.
For the 2014 Dirt Mile, the opposition Goldencents faced was less formidable compared to 2013, with the nine-horse lineup also featuring Golden Ticket, Fed Biz, and Matt Winn Stakes winner Tapiture. Once more, they proved incapable of matching Goldencents. He took an early lead and effortlessly added a second Dirt Mile title to his record, triumphing by 1 ¼ lengths over Tapiture. This marked a fitting conclusion to a career boasting six graded stakes victories. He was then retired to stud at Spendthrift Farm, standing alongside his sire.
While for many racehorses, their narrative concludes at this point, Goldencents, who continues to stand at Spendthrift, has achieved a notable post-racing legacy. Although his offspring By My Standards garnered attention on the 2019 Triple Crown circuit, he was unable to claim victory in the Derby, yet half a decade later, another of Goldencents’ sons succeeded. Mystik Dan executed a daring move along the rail as the 150th Kentucky Derby entered the stretch, astonishing observers by successfully fending off both Sierra Leone and Forever Young in the final moments to win the historic race for the roses. Both sons are now also available for breeding, providing additional avenues for Into Mischief, who has himself sired three Derby winners, and Goldencents to enhance their respective pedigrees.
