Mo Town

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 6th-DMR, $70K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 6:00 p.m. SULLY (Uncle Mo), a $700,000 yearling at last year's Keeneland September Sale, debuts for trainer John Shirreffs and owner CRK Stable Sunday. Second dam Grazie Mille is responsible for a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars' in GISW and top-10 freshman sire Mo Town (Uncle Mo) as well as GII Chandelier S. third Justique (Justify). The bay just missed a bullet in his most recent work, going four furlongs at Santa Anita in :46 4/5 (2/71) and picks up...

Key of Life became the first black-type winner for her freshman sire (by Uncle Mo) with a decisive score in Keeneland's Myrtlewood S. Friday. Hammered down to 3-5 favoritism off consecutive scores, the $350,000 OBSAPR acquisition seized the early advantage, zipping through a :22.34 opening quarter with a rival in hot pursuit. Turning for home in front after a half in :45.91, the bay opened up with ease in the lane to win for fun. "She really has put it together over the last month or so," said winning trainer...

Uncle Mo will once again top the Coolmore America roster at $150,000 for the 2023 breeding season, the same fee at which he stood in 2022, according to a press release from Coolmore Wednesday morning. The 14-year-old stallion was the sire of 10 black-type winners in 2022, including the GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal. Justify, who had four black-type winners from his first crop in 2022, will stand for the farm's second highest-fee, at $100,000, the same as in 2022. He is currently the third-leading first-crop sire by earnings....

Tanya Gunther was thrilled to watch the latest 'TDN Rising Star' Justique (Justify) trounce the competition in her breathtaking debut, but the horsewoman admitted that a few thoughts of what could have been flashed through her head as she remembered the promising filly's early days spent at Glennwood Farm. "I didn't really want to sell her," Gunther said with an acquiescing smile. "Most of our yearlings do go to the sale, but I was a bit sad when we let her go." Bred by Tanya's father John Gunther in partnership...

In the same way which astronomical stars largely form in groups, so too did the 'TDN Rising Stars' this past Sunday. Not one, not two, but three leading ladies emerged from the nebulae of Del Mar and Saratoga, each with her own brand of brilliance. Chief among the splendor, and the last to show her shine, was Justique (Justify), whose brilliant turn of foot and effortless dismissal of rivals summoned forth comparisons to another glorious 'Rising Star' in her hayday--a John Shirreffs masterpiece, Hall of Famer Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire})....

A half-sister by Mo Town to the GI Champagne winner Jack Christopher (Munnings), a recent winner of the GII Pat Day Mile S. at Churchill, highlights 12 entries for Fasig-Tipton's June Digital Sale, now online at digital.fasigtipton.com. Bidding is officially open and will close this Thursday, June 9, at 2 p.m. EDT. "We have several attractive offerings for this Belmont week sale, including a two-year-old half-sister to undefeated GI winner Jack Christopher,  who is expected to run in the GI Woody Stephens on Belmont Stakes day," said Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton...

1st-Keeneland, $75,320, Msw, 4-13, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :53.09, gd, 1 3/4 lengths. MR. GORDY (c, 2, Mo Town--Sky Trail, by Congrats), dismissed at odds of 21-1 for his career bow, broke straight to the lead from the rail and raced just off the inside path around the turn. His lead increased turning for home and he had something left in reserve to hold off a fast-closing Ryvit (Competitive Edge) and win by 1 3/4 lengths to become the first winner for his freshman sire (by Uncle Mo), who stands at...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 1st-KEE, $80K, MSW, 2yo, 4 1/2f, 1:00 p.m. The opening day of the 2022 Keeneland Spring Meet features the first 2-year-old races of the year and the first opportunity for freshman sires to get their second careers off to a winning start. Success as a new stallion is of no concern for Uncle Mo, the sire of first-time starter DOMINICANA. A daughter of the SP Speightstown mare Chattertown, Dominicana is a full-sister to GSW and late sire Laoban. Purchased for $300,000 from the 2021 Keeneland...

6th-GP, $60K, Msw, 4yo/up, 7f, 3:05 p.m. Fresh off a big win in last weekend's Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf, Robert and Lawana Lowe are represented here by PIGOTT (Curlin), who makes his belated debut for trainer Todd Pletcher. A $1.2 million KEESEP yearling purchase, the chestnut is a half-brother to GI Hollywood Derby winner Mo Town, who showed versatility winning the GII Remsen S. on the dirt. The trainer-jockey combo of Pletcher and Luis Saez have been deadly at the meet, connecting at...

All good things must come to an end, they say, so on Friday Sabrina Moore, who co-bred the horse recently named the 2021 Longines World's Best Racehorse, boarded one last flight to watch Knicks Go (Paynter) make his final career start in the GI Pegasus World Cup before he begins stud duty at Taylor Made Farm. Foaled at the Moores' GreenMount Farm in Reisterstown, Maryland, Knicks Go has taken his doting breeder to winner's circles most only dream of reaching. The story of a young horsewoman breeding a champion racehorse...

Though the first three installments of this series have featured the stallions with most to prove, we know that they will collectively be dominating commercial traffic in the new covering season. But today we come to the group that has just completed that first, critical market cycle--and finally stands on the brink of testing their stock where it really counts. Or should count, anyway. The sad reality is that they have already exhausted their usefulness to a lot of breeders, many of whom will meanwhile have ridden the carousel through...

When 2020 came to a close, Ashford Stud's GISW Mo Town (Uncle Mo - Grazie Mille, by Bernardini) sat in prime position to see his best book yet as his first crop became yearlings and he began his third year at stud. Sons of Uncle Mo were at the forefront of breeders' minds as esteemed young stallions Nyquist and Laoban finished one-two in the freshman sire standings and were both represented by Grade I winners, while another Uncle Mo prodigy in Outwork ended up a close fourth on the same...