Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Uncle Chuck
Uncle Chuck
Uncle Mo – Forest Music, by Unbridled’s Song
Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet ($250,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman)
Uncle Chuck, among the late bloomers to arrive on this year’s elongated Kentucky Derby trail, will get a litmus test when he challenges divisional leader Tiz the Law this Saturday at Saratoga. The colt is the product of crossing a young classic sire over a classy sprint mare who has developed into an outstanding broodmare.
Uncle Mo, by Indian Charlie, won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at 1 1/16 miles to lock up a divisional Eclipse Award, and won three other stakes at a mile. He sired fellow Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and divisional champion Nyquist in his first crop.
Nyquist went on to take the 2016 Kentucky Derby. As in the case of Nyquist, whose dam, Seeking Gabrielle, never won beyond six furlongs, Uncle Mo will be trying to add stamina to Uncle Chuck’s dam. Forest Music won five stakes and placed in six others at sprint distances, highlighted by victories in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss and Grade 3 Miss Preakness, both at six furlongs.
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Forest Music is now the dam of five winners, including three graded stakes winners. Uncle Chuck is the most recent of those, winning his debut at a mile before taking the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby at 1 1/8 miles. He joins Kentuckian, winner of the Grade 3 Lazaro Barrera Stakes at seven furlongs before finishing third in that year’s Los Al Derby, and Electric Forest, winner of the Grade 3 Doubledogdare Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.
Forest Music also produced two other sprint winners, including Maclean’s Music, a dazzling winner of his only start, which came going six furlongs. He went on to sire 2017 Preakness Stakes winner Cloud Computing in his first crop.
Forest Music is by Unbridled’s Song and is out of Defer West, who set a track record for seven furlongs in winning the Honeymoon Stakes. Defer West produced two other stakes-winning sprinters, including Grade 3-winning juvenile Shooter.