Gun Runner

Candy Ride – Quiet Giant, by Giant’s Causeway

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Uncle Mo is the next great sire. While some may think that making that statement so early in a stud career is premature, foolish, outlandish, or all of the above, history suggests that you can reach some educated conclusions about a sire’s future arc based on his first crop of foals.

Early evidence for Uncle Mo, whose debut crop raced in 2015, is compelling. He’s off to a fast start that mirrors some who went on to become leading general sires, and there are parallels between Uncle Mo and the likes of Street Cry and Tapit.

Artie Schiller, who is based at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., was represented in the world’s richest 2-year-old race, Australia’s Group 1, $3.5 million Golden Slipper, by Flying Artie, who finished a creditable third.

Capitalist won the race by a half-length over Yankee Rose, who was 1 3/4 lengths clear of Flying Artie.

Flying Artie won his maiden in the Group 3 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Prelude, then finished second in the Group 1 Blue Diamond itself before going in the Golden Slipper.

Horse of the Year Havre de Grace delivered her third foal, a filly by two-time leading sire Tapit, on Saturday night at Timber Town Farm near Lexington, Ky.

The mare is boarded at Wayne and Cathy Sweezey’s facility for owner Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm. The mare delivered her first foal, a Tapit filly now named Heavenly Grace, in 2014 and had a War Front colt last year.

On the surface, California Chrome and Mshawish are quite different. California Chrome is a flashy, appropriately named chestnut who became beloved by the nation after winning America’s most famous race. Mshawish is a dark bay who has done his best work outside of the glamour division.

One is a West Coast-based homebred for previously little-known connections, by a modest California stallion and out of a claiming mare; the other, by a leading sire, is based in the East with the country’s leading trainer.

Few stallions as successful as the late Unbridled’s Song have endured as much criticism from breeders and pedigree pundits. Despite the fact that Tara’s Tango is one of his 114 stakes winners and became his 20th Grade 1 winner in Saturday’s Santa Margarita, Unbridled’s Song, who died in 2013, went relatively out of fashion toward the end of his illustrious stud career.

Unbeaten New Mexico-bred millionaire Peppers Pride has been confirmed in foal to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

Silken Cat, a Canadian champion and the dam of champion sprinter and top sire Speightstown, died Tuesday in her paddock at Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Ky. The farm confirmed the mare’s death Friday on its Facebook page.

The 23-year-old daughter of Storm Cat was bred in Quebec by Ferme Du Bois-Vert and was purchased by Sam-Son Farm for $95,000 at the 1994 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling sale.

Dad, a son of undefeated New Mexico-bred millionaire Peppers Pride, will attempt to win his maiden in the Sunland Park Festival of Racing Stakes on Sunday.

The 3-year-old Malibu Moon colt is trained by Joel Marr, who also conditioned his dam. He is winless in three starts, with his best finish being a fourth in the Mine That Bird overnight stakes last month at Sunland.

Plum Pretty will be honored with a race in her name Sunday at Sunland Park – and for good reason. She was the most impressive winner of the Sunland Oaks, coasting by 25 lengths in the track’s major event for 3-year-old fillies. She subsequently won the Kentucky Oaks and added the following year’s Apple Blossom Handicap, retiring with nine stakes wins or placings and earnings of more than $1.6 million.