Uncle Mo

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), off since a front-running tally in last year's GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland, returned as sharp as ever to dominate the GIII Quick Call S. on Saratoga's opening day card Thursday. Pounded down to 1-5 favoritism while making his first start since being acquired privately by the Coolmore partners and Georg von Opel's Westerberg from his breeder Randall Lowe, the bay looked like a winner every step of the way, clicking off splits of :21.92 and :44.88 without much company and cruising away...

A total of 210 yearlings by many of the world's top stallions have been cataloged for the 100th renewal of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, to be held Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 9 and 10, in Saratoga Springs, NY. Evening sessions begin each night at 6:30 p.m. The Saratoga Sale is the first major North American yearling sale to be held as many as 100 times. The boutique event was canceled last summer owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, marking the first time since World War II that the sale had not...

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), off since posting a visually impressive score in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland Nov. 6, returns to action in Thursday's opening day GIII Quick Call S. at Saratoga. Last term's narrow G2 Norfolk S. runner-up at Royal Ascot June 19 and ultra-sharp Skidmore S. winner at the Spa Aug. 21 was recently purchased privately by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg from breeder Randall Lowe. He is the 1-2 morning-line favorite. "He's doing really well. We're excited about...

How badly does New York native Mike Repole want to win the GI Belmont Stakes? Well, if the scene in the winner's circle following the eye-catching unveiling of 'TDN Rising Star' Wit (c, 2, Practical Joke--Numero d'Oro, by Medaglia d'Oro) after a tardy start in the blockbuster card's 11:35 a.m. lidlifter was any indication, NYRA may have to start constructing a larger enclosure. "I had six horses running on Belmont day and had 50 family and friends there," Repole said. "Here he is at 2-5 and eighth after spotting the...

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis The Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale returned from its one-year hiatus with plenty of fireworks at the top of the market as a diverse buying bench competed with enthusiasm for the upper-end offerings in the track's paddock Wednesday afternoon. A colt by Nyquist, who had breezed the bullet furlong in :9 4/5 during Monday's under-tack preview, brought the boutique auction's top price when selling for $2.6 million to Coolmore. The Irish operation returned to secure a colt by Nyquist's sire Uncle Mo for $1.3 million. Both...

Sent off at debut odds of 19-10 for a purse-enhanced maiden at Tampa, Juddmonte homebred Lory (Uncle Mo--Principal Role, by Empire Maker) overwhelmed her rivals by 7 3/4 lengths to become a new 'TDN Rising Star.' Clearly last into stride from the two hole, the bay quickly made up for lost time, accelerating all the way up into about fourth position as the field neared the entry to the far turn. Samy Camacho seized upon the opportunity to send Lory through an opening at the inside when pacesetting Summer Home...

The buzz started around this time last year. The first crop of 2-year-olds from Sequel New York's Laoban were fast. In a TDN series last spring polling various juvenile consignors and buyers, the son of Uncle Mo was on several shrewd observers' lists as a predicted under-the-radar stallion. "Laoban is a sneaky one that I'm not sure if a lot of people will notice," Brandon Rice had said last March. "I can see that there's guaranteed speed, and I could see him having a break out year...They all have a...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 5th-Gulfstream, $55K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, post time: 1:24 p.m. ET Given his name, it might be more fitting if Peter Brant's BENNYFROMTHEBRONX (Tapit) were making his first trip to the races at the Jersey Shore, but instead, the half-brother to GISW 'TDN Rising Star' and recent Saudi Cup runner-up Charlatan (Speightstown) gets his career started at Gulfstream Park Saturday afternoon. The bay, a $300,000 Keeneland September acquisition, is the latest to the races from his dam, two-time graded winner and three-time Grade I-placed Authenticity (Quiet...

Group 1 winner Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Breeders' Cup victor Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) are both targeting the 2021 Royal Ascot meeting trainer Wesley Ward has announced. The filly, a Stonestreet Stables colourbearer, will line up for the G1 Commonwealth Cup during the Royal Meeting. In 2020, Campanelle captured the G3 Queen Mary S. and then returned to Europe to add the G1 Prix Morny to her haul later in the summer. Although she has been entered in the G1 1000 Guineas and Irish equivalent, it is more likely...

7th-Oaklawn, $84,000, Alw, 1-23, (NW1X), 3yo, 6f, 1:10.29, ft, 3 1/2 lengths. SWIFTSURE (c, 3, Uncle Mo--Island Saint {GSP, $133,860}, by Speightstown) wired the field to take his debut by 3 1/4 lengths in his career bow at the Fair Grounds Nov. 27 and was hammered down to even-money to repeat here. Hustled out of the gate, the dark bay was overtaken by longshot Lock Up (Maclean's Music) and kept a watchful eye from second through a swift first quarter in :21.51. Closing the gap on the backstretch, Swiftsure took...

The setting of new sire records in the modern era tends more than not to be a direct consequence of ever-greater book sizes. But they must still be acknowledged as legitimate breeding benchmarks as they will inevitably feature some outstanding performances. Just look at Mehmas (Ire)'s tally of first-crop 2-year-old winners this term. Currently on 56 winners, he is already 17 clear of Iffraaj's old record and in normal circumstances we might be entitled to expect his record to stand for many years. It may well do, but his strike...

3rd-GP, $50K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 1:05p.m. Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith's SHAFTESBURY (Uncle Mo) kicks off his career for Todd Pletcher, who already owns 16 training titles at the South Florida oval. Out of the stakes-winning Lemon Kiss (Lemon Drop Kid), the $675,000 KEESEP yearling purchase is a half-sibling to Grade I-winner Lochte (Medaglia d'Oro). TJCIS PPs 7th-GP, $50K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7f, 3:08p.m. Todd Pletcher sends out a pair of wel-bred first-time starters, led by Charles Fipke's UNBRIDLED D'ORO (Medaglia d'Oro)....