New York freshman sire Laoban nearly pulls off Grade 1 double

Laoban won his maiden in auspicious fashion, winning the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes in the summer 2016. His son Keepmeinmind nearly pulled off a similar feat Saturday, finishing second as a maiden in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. But the blow of that miss was softened, as Laoban had already recorded a Grade 1 winner on opening weekend at the Lexington track, rocketing up the freshman sire chart thanks to Simply Ravishing’s 6 1/4-length score in the Alcibiades Stakes on Friday.

New York-bred Simply Ravishing has won all three of her career starts, also including the off-the-turf P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga.

Laoban, who stands at Sequel Stallions in New York, is the sire of five individual winners to date, including Ava’s Grace, third in the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga. He is one of three sons of Uncle Mo in the top four on the freshman earnings list through Saturday.

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The current leader on the list, Not This Time, by Giant’s Causeway, is tracked by Nyquist, Outwork, and Laoban, all three with multiple stakes horses to their credit. Nyquist is the sire of a pair of Grade 1 winners in Gretzky the Great and Vequist, while Outwork has sired stakes winners Outadore and Samborella.