JEROME S. (gr. II ), Aqueduct , January 05, 2013 , $200,000 Guaranteed , value of race $200,000 , 3 yo , 1 mile 70 Yards , 1:40.67 Inner track FT .

Jan. 5 was a red-letter day for B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm when its stallion Into Mischief sired two graded stakes winners within an hour.

“It’s not often you get to watch something like that within 40 minutes,” said Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey of the victories of Goldencents in the Sham Stakes (gr. III) at Santa Anita Park and Vyjack in the Jerome Stakes (gr. II) at Aqueduct.

Spendthrift bought Into Mischief as a 2-year-old, and the son of Harlan’s Holiday carried the Lexington farm’s colors to victory in three of six starts, including the 2007 CashCall Futurity (gr. I).

“The odds in this industry are against you…most stallions are not going to be as successful as you’d like, so it’s very exciting and gratifying when you get one that gets off to the right start like this,” Toffey added of Into Mischief.

The stallion’s 2013 fee was set at $10,000, but Toffey said they would be selling his last few seasons for double that amount in light of his recent success.

Vyjack, who now has a perfect three-for-three record, broke his maiden at Aqueduct in November and then romped to a 53/4–length victory in the Traskwood Stakes Dec. 9. A career earner of $202,200, he is scheduled to run next in the March 3 Gotham Stakes (gr. III).

Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, Vyjack is the first stakes winner for Dave Wilkenfeld’s Pick Six Racing. The bay gelding is also the first horse bought at auction by Wilkenfeld, a resident of Tribeca, N.Y., who owns an e-commerce company and races mostly claimers.

After Vyjack brought $45,000 as a yearling, Wilkenfeld purchased him for $100,000 at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale from Pike Racing, agent.

“(Vyjack) was really the one I was interested in (at the sale),” said Wilkenfeld of the gelding, whose name is a combination of his parents’ names, Vivian and Jack. “I liked the way he worked and I liked the sire (Into Mischief)—he had some speed and stamina.”

Bred by Carrie and Craig Brogden’s Machmer Hall, Vyjack is out of the unraced Stravinsky mare Life Happened, who is also the dam of graded stakes-placed runner Prime Cut (by Bernstein).

Life Happened’s youngest offspring is a yearling More Than Ready filly. She was bred to Gio Ponti for 2014.

Into Mischief, the sire of three stakes winners, stands at Spendthrift Farm near Lexington. He is a half brother to Beholder, a finalist for champion 2-year-old filly.—E.M.

GOTHAM S. (gr. III ), Aqueduct , March 02, 2013 , $400,000 Guaranteed , value of race $400,000 , 3 yo , 1 1/16 miles , 1:44.09 Inner track FT .

The most interesting aspect behind the story of undefeated Gotham Stakes (gr. III) winner Vyjack is that the son of Into Mischief was technically never supposed to be born.

“It’s so weird—all these fateful things that happened (that led to his existence),” said Carrie Brogden, who bred the gelding in the name Machmer Hall with her husband, Craig.

Brogden explained that Vyjack’s dam Life Happened had been booked to Bernstein in 2009, but on the afternoon the mare was ready to be bred, Bernstein already had appointments with three other mares.

“Two hours before she needed to be bred, we were rushing around to see what other stallions had availability on their books,” said Brogden, who contacted her friend Ken Wilkins of Spendthrift Farm.

“He said Into Mischief had some availability that afternoon. I thought, ‘(Life Happened) is a big, grand mare, and (Into Mischief) is a son of Harlan’s Holiday and they tend to need a little bit of leg,’ ” Brogden continued. “I’m also a big fan of Into Mischief—he was a grade I-winning 2-year-old, and I think he was prematurely retired. But there was no science (to the mating)—we don’t believe in nicking.”

The resulting foal, Vyjack, was so impressive he became the featured foal in all of Spendthrift’s 2010 advertisements. “He was a big, raw, coarse, heavy horse, but he had a lot of bone underneath him,” said Brogden of the gelding, who fetched $45,000 from Pike Racing, agent, at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale from Select Sales, agent.

Brogden stayed on as a partner in Vyjack when he was pinhooked as a 2-year-old for $100,000 at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale. Consigned by Pike Racing, agent, he was bought by David Wilkenfeld’s Pick Six Racing. Having scored additional victories in the Jan. 5 Jerome Stakes (gr. II) and Dec. 9 Traskwood Stakes at Aqueduct, Vyjack has now earned $442,200 for Wilkenfeld.

The Brogdens found a bargain when they bought Life Happened for $4,500 at the 2008 Keeneland November mixed sale from Brandywine Farm, agent.

Kept at Machmer Hall near Paris, Ky., the mare is also the dam of grade II stakes-placed Prime Cut (by Bernstein). Due to deliver a Gio Ponti foal soon, she is booked to Harlan’s Holiday.

Into Mischief, a half brother to champion Beholder, is the sire of three stakes winners, including other 2013 grade III victor Goldencents. Into Mischief stands for $20,000 at B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift near Lexington.—E.M.