Nyquist: Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner is by all-conquering Uncle Mo
PICTURE: Wendy Wooley/EquiSport Photos
THE death of Indian Charlie in December 2011 was as much of a blow to the health of the Caro sire line in North America as it was to Kentucky breeders.
Although a talented – if fragile – runner who won the 1998 Santa Anita Derby, Indian Charlie was not fashionably bred by Kentucky standards, being a son of the Californian-based In Excess, an Irish-bred grandson of Caro. He made his name off an early fee of $10,000 and such was his success that, at the time of his death, he was commanding $75,000 at Airdrie Stud.
However, one omission on his stud record at the time of his death was a proven heir at stud. There had been early encouragement when an early son, Bwana Charlie, overcame limited opportunities to sire Grade 1 winner Comma To The Top, but that was not enough to ensure his popularity and by 2012 he was in the Philippines.
By that time, attention had turned to Indian Charlie’s most accomplished son Uncle Mo, who had commenced his stud career at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky just two months after his sire’s death.
As a champion two-year-old whose five wins for owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher included a dominant victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, he has received every opportunity from the outset, notably during his first season when he covered 211 mares at $35,000. In return, however, he has developed into a record-breaking freshman sire, one who has considerably enhanced the prospects of the Indian Charlie/Caro sire line in the US.
Uncle Mo’s first crop of 165 two-year-olds contains 24 winners from 58 runners, among them seven stakes winners including unbeaten triple Grade 1 winner Nyquist, who emulated his sire in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes scorer Gomo.
His progeny have accumulated just over $3.3 million in earnings, a record figure for a North American first-crop sire that eclipses the previous benchmark of $2,811,337 set by Tapit in 2009. The figure is also a record by North American two-year-old earnings, a championship he also controls.
To put his dominance into perspective, next best on the first-crop list is First Dude, whose progeny have yet to hit the million-dollar mark.
“He’s one of those horses who has ticked the boxes all the way through,” says Dermot Ryan, manager at Ashford Stud. “He has plenty of size, scope and strength. He has quality, good limbs and a very good hindquarter.
“He came off the track with a big reputation, his foals and yearlings looked the part at the sales and then earlier this year the reports on his two-year-olds were very good.”
Buyers evidently liked what they saw of his progeny as his first yearlings realised an average of $108,642 for 106 through the ring.
“Uncle Mo has enjoyed considerable support each year at stud; in fact, he covered his biggest book in his fourth year,” says Ryan. “There was a buzz around him all the way through, but when the two-year-old guys started asking a bit more of them the word really got out.
“We heard early on that Nyquist had a big reputation and Todd Pletcher tells us he has a couple of very good ones who haven’t run yet, so there’s still a lot to look forward to.”
That buzz was certainly evident at the two-year-olds in-training sales, where his progeny sold for up to $725,000. Nyquist himself was a pricey youngster, selling for $400,000 to Dennis O’Neill on behalf of his brother, trainer Doug, and owner J Paul Reddam’s Reddam Racing Llc.
The same connections are also behind Gomo, who cost $70,000 at the OBS March Sale.
Yet even before either Nyquist or Gomo had made their debuts, Uncle Mo was already well on his way to making his presence felt. His first runner, Outwork, got the stallion off to the perfect start when successful on his debut at Keeneland in April. Fittingly, he represents the same Repole-Pletcher association as his sire.
On July 25, another Repole-Pletcher flagbearer, Uncle Vinny, became his first stakes winner upon the disqualification of Magna Light in the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga. Others swiftly followed – Nyquist took the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes en route to Grade 1 glory, while Uncle Brennie, Mo Tom and Forevamo (who runs in Saturday’s Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot) each landed Listed events.
The latest stakes winner arrived on Saturday when Repole’s Lost Raven, bred on the same Elusive Quality cross as Gomo, took the Smart Halo Stakes by three lengths at Laurel Park. Her win came the week Uncle Mo was represented by four new maiden special-weight winners.
The question now is whether his progeny will be seen to even greater effect as three-year-olds. Uncle Mo headed into his three-year-old campaign as the talking horse of his division but, in the event, his season was interrupted by cholangiohepatitis, a liver condition triggered by stress. As a result he had to skip the Triple Crown and, although he came back to win the Kelso Handicap, he was retired after running down the field in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“Most of the Uncle Mos we’ve seen have been precocious, speedy types, but we’re getting plenty of feedback that trainers expect them to continue to improve and stretch out well,” says Ryan. “Many of his stock are big-framed horses, so I think there will be plenty more to come from them as three-year-olds.
“Looking at Uncle Mo himself, I’m a believer he’d have reached even greater heights as a three-year-old if it wasn’t for sickness.”
Uncle Mo covered 221 mares this season at a fee of $25,000, and Coolmore has unsurprisingly capitalised on his fast start by setting a 2016 fee of $75,000. It is a significant rise but one that is unlikely to halt his popularity.
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