As a well-bred winner of the Belmont Stakes, Mo Donegal will likely command a solid fee when he debuts at stud. Thoroughbred Daily News reports that jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who piloted the colt to victory in the Belmont, will benefit from that early buzz with a future stallion season to Mo Donegal, awarded to him by Jerry Crawford of co-owner Donegal Racing.
The awarded season is part of a new initiative by Donegal Racing, in which the rider of a Grade 1 winner for the ownership group will receive a similar bonus. Crawford told the TDN that Donegal Racing has had a similar policy in place for Grade 1-winning trainers for years.
The decision to extend the bonus to jockeys, he said, came from a proposed rule from the California Horse Racing Board which would award a future stallion season to the winning riders of graded stakes races within the state.
Just how much of a windfall the season could end up being for Ortiz remains to be seen, and it could fluctuate depending on Mo Donegal's performance over the remainder of his career.
During an interview with the Des Moines Register, Crawford said he expected that the breeding rights to Mo Donegal, a son of the fashionable commercial sire Uncle Mo, would be worth between $15 million to $30 million. Where that price ultimately lands will dictate Mo Donegal's initial stud fee, and in turn, how much Ortiz stands to make for the stallion season.
Read more at Thoroughbred Daily News and the Des Moines Register.
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