Red Oak to Share the Fire at Keeneland September

The Brunetti family's Red Oak Stable, which finds itself with plenty of the family, will offer a filly by Uncle Mo (hip 45) during Monday's first session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The yearling, consigned by Darby Dan Farm, is a half-sister to the operation's multiple Grade I-winning star Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) and to its Grade I-placed filly Goddess of Fire (Mineshaft).

“We are selling this one, and we actually sold Goddess of Fire also, because we have so many from the same female line,” Red Oak racing manager Rick Sacco explained. “With the mare Ubetwereven (French Deputy)–who is the dam of King for a Day–and her foals, it's all the same family, and we have so many. It's a business and we just think it's a prudent thing to do.”

Ubetwereven, acquired by Red Oak privately some 20 years ago, produced Feel That Fire (Lightnin N Thunder) in 2007 and that stakes winner produced Mind Control in 2016 and Goddess of Fire in 2019.

Ubetwereven is also the dam of stakes winner Ima Jersey Girl (Lightnin N Thunder), who produced Gorgeous Girl (Liam's Map), second in the Red Oak colors in this year's Gasparilla Stakes, while the mare's son King for a Day (Uncle Mo) won the 2019 Pegasus Stakes for the operation.

The hard-knocking Mind Control won the 2022 GI Cigar Mile, 2019 GI H. Allen Jerkens Stakes, and 2018 GI Hopeful Stakes, as well as five other graded events. He won 11 of 29 starts and earned over $2 million on the racetrack.

Goddess of Fire was second in the 2022 GII Rachel Alexandra Stakes and GII Gulfstream Park Oaks and finished third in that year's 2022 GI Alabama Stakes. She was sold to Bass Stables following an allowance win at Gulfstream in January and was bred to Annapolis this year.

Red Oak retains Feel That Fire's 2-year-old filly, My Crystal Ball (Uncle Mo).

“She is with Todd Pletcher and she's a beautiful filly,” Sacco said.

Of the mare's yearling, Sacco said, “She is a very pretty filly. The Feel That Fire foals are all typey horses, like Mind Control and Goddess of Fire. She is very pretty and very correct and excellent physical as far as vet exams and scopes. So she is perfect in that aspect. We are impressed with her.”

Red Oak has already enjoyed success with Uncle Mo. In addition to King for a Day, the farm was also represented on the racetrack by 2018 GI Apple Blossom Handicap winner Unbridled Mo (Uncle Mo).

“We were on that bandwagon very early with King for a Day and Unbridled Mo,” Sacco said. “We started out with Uncle Mo and his stud fee has obviously risen over the last couple of years. He's having a fantastic year. To me personally, there is nothing not to like about Uncle Mo.”

Red Oak Farm was founded by John Brunetti, Sr. and had been operated by his sons John Jr. and Stephen following his death in 2018. The death of Stephen Brunetti in April has altered the farm's trajectory slightly, according to Sacco.

“John Brunetti, Jr., Steve's brother, he is a traditionalist,” Sacco said. “He loves the game, he loves it the way his father did. Steve Brunetti was very passionate about breeding and the every day operations, where Johnny runs the entire company, the casino and the real estate division that they have. He loves it, but not to the extent that Steve did. So it's part of our business plan to sell some, where Steve Brunetti would never really sell horses. We are not going to have over 100 horses anymore, but we are going to continue with the very high-quality broodmare band. We've kept all of our best broodmares and will breed to high-quality stallions. And we will sell some horses.”

The Brunetti name is also being carried on in racing by the next generation.

“Steve, Jr. graduated from University of Kentucky last year,” Sacco said. “He works for the Brunetti organization in South Florida, he is part of the real estate division. Like his father, he is passionate and he does have a couple of horses. He's another one that really loves the game. He likes to go to the races and he's enjoying it, that's for sure.”

Red Oak's next generation of equine stars is well on its way, as well.

“We have Unbridled Mo's 2-year-old colt by American Pharoah [Intuitive Wisdom] at the track and getting ready to run,” Sacco said. “He's about a breeze away.”

Unbridled Mo produced a colt by Curlin this year and was bred back to Into Mischief.

“She has an absolutely outstanding Curlin weanling that we love,” Sacco said. “All of the reports from Darby Dan have been great. He's a special colt and a lot of people have gone to look at him. In my last visit there in July, he was very impressive. Curlin is having such a good year, we have entered him in the Keeneland November sale.”

As for Mind Control, he retired to Rockridge Stud following his win in the 2022 Cigar Mile and his first foals are weanlings this year.

“We love the bunch that we have,” Sacco said of Mind Control's first foals. “Physically, they are just very tough looking. He's not an overly big horse, a shade under 16 hands or right at 16 hands, and the foals are very muscular and strong looking. And, most importantly, correct. He is a beautiful-moving horse and ultra correct.”

Sacco continued, “Mind Control bred 190 mares, he broke the New York record of all time for number of mares being bred in one year. So he's been very well-received.”

The Keeneland September sale opens with Book 1 sessions Monday and Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m. Book 2 sessions Wednesday and Thursday begin at 11 a.m. Following a dark day Friday, the auction continues through Sept. 21 with sessions beginning at 10 a.m.