Led by Nyquist, Uncle Mo's first crop is one for the ages
Nyquist was an unbeaten juvenile champion, just like his sire, and was made the morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Derby, just like his sire. The question was, could he go the classic distance, something his sire had never done?
The answer was a resounding yes. Nyquist remained undefeated in eight starts with an emphatic victory in the Kentucky Derby last Saturday at Churchill Downs, giving the outstanding young sire Uncle Mo a classic winner from his first crop.
Uncle Mo, standing at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., was one of two sires with three starters in this year’s Derby – the other being two-time reigning leading sire Tapit, whom the younger stallion is now in hot pursuit of for American supremacy. Uncle Mo’s two other starters were Grade 3 winner Mo Tom, who finished eighth, and Grade 1 winner Outwork, who checked in 14th. He also is likely to have three or more Preakness Stakes starters, as awaiting Nyquist in Baltimore will be Grade 1-placed stakes winner Uncle Lino and multiple graded stakes-placed Laoban.
Uncle Mo led not only the freshman sire list but also the overall juvenile sire list in 2015 with progeny earnings of $3,632,314. The earnings were a freshman-season record, shattering the $2,811,337 amassed in 2008 by future super-sire Tapit. Uncle Mo’s bankroll outpaced runner-up freshman Twirling Candy by nearly $2.5 million. Uncle Mo is not only the leading second-crop stallion in North America at the moment with earnings of $6,764,411 through Derby weekend, but he is also third on the general sire list behind Tapit ($7,367,279) and Lucky Pulpit ($6,870,490), the latter powered by record money earner California Chrome.
In addition to his Derby and Preakness starters, Uncle Mo is the sire of Grade 1 winner Gomo; Grade 3 winner Uncle Vinny; Grade 2-placed stakes winners Forevamo, Mo d’Amour, and Thrilled; Grade 1-placed Mokat; Grade 2-placed Shaken; Grade 3-placed Auntie Joy and Uncle Walter; multiple stakes winners Abiding Star and Lost Raven; stakes winners Clipthecouponannie and Uncle Brennie; and stakes-placed Conquest Babayaga, Little Mo, Mighty Mo, and Mo for the Money.
Uncle Mo, by the late Indian Charlie, won his three starts as a juvenile by a combined 23 1/4 lengths, earning a divisional Eclipse Award by a nearly unanimous vote for owner Mike Repole. The colt burst onto the national scene with a 14 1/4-length victory in his Saratoga debut. He added open-lengths scores in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.
Although a rare liver disorder caused him to miss the Triple Crown series – he was forced to scratch from the Kentucky Derby the day before the race – Uncle Mo continued on at 3 to win the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap over older horses and was multiple Grade 1-placed. He won 5 of 8 career starts and missed the board only once, earning $1,606,000.
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