Uncle Mo

L. William & Corinne Heiligbrodt's Yaupon (c, 3, Uncle Mo--Modification, by Vindication), an impressive last out winner of Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S. Aug. 29, made it a perfect four-for-four with a powerful, front-running victory while equaling the stakes record in Thursday's GIII Chick Lang S. at Pimlico. The 3-5 favorite blasted out to the front from his outside draw, and was ridden along by John Velazquez to hold a narrow advantage. He began to shake free as they straightened for home and wasn't for catching in the stretch, rolling to...

Despite losing the ultra-talented GISW Volatile (Violence) to an untimely injury in late September, the Hall of Fame Steve Asmussen barn still has another big bullet to fire in the sprint division in the form of the up-and-coming unbeaten sophomore Yaupon (Uncle Mo) in Thursday's GIII Chick Lang S. at Pimlico. The L. William and Corinne Heiligbrodt colorbearer, a $255,000 OBS June acquisition (:10), made it a perfect three-for-three in front-running fashion while making his stakes debut in Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S. last time Aug. 29. The Chick Lang 4-5...

Alice Bamford and Michael Tabor's Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo), the only 3-year-old in the four-horse field, put away favored Fighting Mad (New Year's Day) at midstretch and then held off Hard Not To Love (Hard Spun) in the dying strides to win the GII Zenyatta S. at Santa Anita Sunday and earn an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. "I'm absolutely thrilled today, completely over the moon for Harvest Moon," said Bamford. "She's a homebred and she's just so deep in my heart and in my family's heart....

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Saturday running at Chukyo Racecourses. Sunday's action features the return to the races of Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who preps for the final leg of the Japanese Triple Crown in the G2 Kobe Shimbun Hai: Saturday, September 26, 2020 4th-CKO, ¥13,400,000 ($127k),...

Three-time Grade I winner Bast (Uncle Mo), in foal to Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy), will be offered at this year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale through Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, who will consign the 3-year-old bay on behalf of owner Charles Chu's Baoma Corporation. The only three-time Grade I winning filly of her crop in the U.S., she is also the only Grade I-winning juvenile filly of that crop to add a graded stakes victory at three. Trained throughout her career by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, she established...

'TDN Rising Star' Pneumatic (Uncle Mo), last-out winner of the Aug. 15 Pegasus S. at Monmouth Park, breezed five furlongs in company in a bullet 1:00.85 over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Monday morning as he continues towards a start in the GI Preakness S. at Pimlico Oct. 3. With exercise rider Angel Garcia up, Pneumatic went in fractions of :12, :23.80, :36 and galloped out three-quarters of a mile in 1:15. "On this track, that's about as good as horses work," said Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve...

by Jessica Martini & Brian DiDonato LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale continued to see strong action at the top, but an elevated buy-back rate at the first of two Book 2 sessions Wednesday in Lexington. A colt by Uncle Mo from the Gainesway consignment brought the day's highest bid when selling for $950,000 to bloodstock agent David Ingordo. In all, 185 yearlings sold for $40,861,000. The average was $220,870 and the median was $180,000. Through three sessions, 394 head have grossed $126,076,000 for an average of $319,990...

Spendthrift purchased the breeding rights to Authentic before the Grade l Santa Anita Derby, and the $9 million kicker it agreed to pay Authentic's former ownership group for winning the Gl Kentucky Derby is indicative of the premium that's placed on a stallion prospect with North America's most prestigious Classic on his resume. A front-running colt, Authentic has the right type of sire behind him as well. He's by Spendthrift's flagship stallion Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday), who cranks out graded stakes winners like nobody's business, particularly sprinters and milers that...

'TDN Rising Star' Girl Daddy (Uncle Mo) was kept in the clear by jockey Joe Talamo, was given her cue nearing the stretch and sprinted home an impressive winner of Thursday's GIII Pocahontas S., clinching a spot in the field for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland on the first weekend of November. Girl Daddy tracked a fast early pace, first from midfield before improving to be third and three deep rounding the turn. Cut loose by Talamo leaving the quarter pole, the $500,000 Keeneland September yearling opened...

P. G. JOHNSON S., $93,000, Saratoga, 9-3, 2yo, f, 7f (off turf), 1:21.85, ft. 1--SIMPLY RAVISHING, 122, f, 2, by Laoban 1st Dam: Four Wishes, by More Than Ready 2nd Dam: Emilyna, by Valid Wager 3rd Dam: Piano Affect, by Fappiano ($50,000 Ylg '19 FTKOCT). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Harold Lerner LLC, Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek) & Nehoc Stables; B-Meg Levy (NY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek; J-Luis Saez. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $94,600. *First SW for freshman sire (by Uncle Mo). 2--Con Lima, 120, f, 2, Commissioner--Second Street City, by Consolidator. ($15,000...

Yaupon took his record to a perfect three-for-three and became the second graded winner of the day for Uncle Mo with a victory in the GII Amsterdam S. Hustled up to the front by Joel Rosario, the dark bay clicked off an opening quarter in :21.93 with Long Weekend giving chase in second. Registering a half-mile in :44.68 with a host of pursuers ranging up menacingly, Yaupon kept on finding over the sloppy going, pulling clear in the lane for a decisive score. "He's extremely fast. He's got an elite...

Bye Bye Melvin took to the rain-soaked turf well at Saturday Saturday, upsetting the GIII Saranac S. at 19-1. Stalking from a joint second through a glacial opening quarter in :27.17, the bay sat back a bit in third, letting Embolden (The Factor) move up to contest the pace with leader Don Juan Kitten through a half in :51.54. Under a ride approaching the far turn, Bye Bye Melvin was churning up sod as he brushed with his neighbor Bodecream (Bodemeister) at the top of the lane, but found his...