Tapit has already set high bars of stallion success for himself, but keeps finding newer, and higher, bars to clear. Over the weekend, the stallion became the all-time leading North American sire by career progeny earnings, a bankroll he should continue to add to to extend his dominance. Through Sunday, the career progeny earnings for Tapit, a 20-year-old son of Pulpit standing at Gainesway, stood at $172,904,804. That took him past Giant’s Causeway, who died in 2018, at $172,560,764. Tapit is led this season by Eclipse Award champion juvenile Essential Quality, who gave him his fourth career Belmont Stakes victory in June. That tied Tapit with the immortal Lexington for the all-time record in that American classic. Essential Quality is expected to start as the favorite in this Saturday’s Travers Stakes, and he and others will continue to extend Tapit’s record margin. Tapit, who is also the sire of Eclipse champions Stardom Bound, Hansen, Untapable, and Unique Bella, led the North American general sires list for three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016. He broke the single-season earnings record for a North American sire in 2014, and then topped his own mark each of those next two years, finishing up with a record $19,907,973 in 2016. That mark fell last year, as Spendthrift Farm resident Into Mischief finished 2020 with a record $22,506,085 in earnings. Into Mischief has led the general sire list each of the last two years, and may be the greatest threat to Tapit’s career record in years to come. Into Mischief, a 16-year-old son of Harlan’s Holiday, hit his own milestone over the weekend, reaching $100 million in career progeny earnings, and doing so in a similar timeframe to Tapit. He entered stud in 2009, and thus hit this milestone with his 10th crop of racing age on the track as juveniles this season. Tapit reached the $100 million rung in 2016, with his ninth crop on the track. Into Mischief is taking dead aim on his own earnings record this season, but a third of this year still remains, with the Breeders’ Cup and other major prizes on the horizon. Into Mischief had seasonal earnings of $15,730,946 through Sunday, sitting nearly $3 million clear of his closest pursuer, Ghostzapper. However, the chief earners for those two stallions – Mandaloun and Mystic Guide, respectively – will likely not start again in 2021. Next on the general earnings list at this point are Speightstown, Curlin, and Tapit.