Alice Bamford | Horse Racing Free Tips

Uncle Mo Filly Gets Better of Her Elders in ‘Win and You’re In’ Zenyatta

Alice Bamford and Michael Tabor’s Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo), the only 3-year-old in the four-horse field, put away favored Fighting Mad (New Year’s Day) at midstretch and then held off Hard Not To Love (Hard Spun) in the dying strides to win the GII Zenyatta S. at Santa Anita Sunday and earn an automatic berth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

“I’m absolutely thrilled today, completely over the moon for Harvest Moon,” said Bamford. “She’s a homebred and she’s just so deep in my heart and in my family’s heart. It was so good to see her so well ridden today, showing off her beautiful stride. We lost her mother this year, Qaraaba, who was a stunning, stunning filly and each time I tell her, ‘Harvest Moon, go and do it for your Mama.’ And she has.”

Sent off at 7-2 and making her first start beyond a mile, the lightly raced Harvest Moon tracked pacesetting Fighting Mad through fractions of :23.37 and :46.51. She rolled up to engage the favorite entering the homestretch and, while Fighting Mad attempted to claw her way back, Harvest Moon was always going the better of the two and inched away to the wire for her fourth straight victory. Hard Not To Love closed for second, while Fighting Mad, who was coming off a wire-to-wire victory in the GI Clement L. Hirsch S., stayed on for third.

“We thought Fighting Mad would go to the lead and we wanted to keep pressure on her,” said winning jockey Flavien Prat. “My filly had never been a mile and a sixteenth, but Fighting Mad was carrying 126 pounds. You never know with a 3-year-old against older, but we got eight pounds, so that was good. It turned out this was a good distance for my filly and she really ran well.”

Harvest Moon was making just her fifth career start in the Zenyatta. The bay filly opened her career over the turf, finishing third in a one-mile maiden special weight at Santa Anita June 12. She graduated second time out when moved to the main track at Los Alamitos July 3 and added an optional claimer at the oceanside oval July 27 before making the jump to the graded stakes ranks with a 1 1/4-length victory in the Aug. 22 GIII Torrey Pines S. last time out.

“We have been really patient with her early on and that’s a credit to Alice and Michael Tabor,” said winning trainer Simon Callaghan. “It was said that this filly has a lot of talent and they were so patient throughout the whole process. She took her time to come to hand, but she’s come a long way in a short period of time.”

Pedigree Notes:

Qaraaba, who died earlier this year, produced a colt by Air Force Blue last year. The mare’s third dam is G1 Irish Derby winner Salsabil (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells).

Harvest Moon’s sire Uncle Mo doubled up on graded victories just 20 minutes after the Zenyatta when Envoutante glided to victory in the GIII Remington Oaks.

Sunday, Santa Anita
ZENYATTA S.-GII, $196,000, Santa Anita, 9-27, 3yo/up, f/m,
1 1/16m, 1:43.03, ft.
1–HARVEST MOON, 118, f, 3, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Qaraaba (GB) (GSW, $171,119), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Mokaraba (GB), by Unfuwain
3rd Dam: Muhaba, by Mr. Prospector
O-Alice Bamford & Michael B. Tabor; B-Alice Bamford (KY);
T-Simon Callaghan; J-Flavien Prat. $120,000. Lifetime Record:
5-4-0-1, $240,720. *1/2 to Californiagoldrush (Cape Blanco
{Ire}), GSW & GISP, $322,345.
2–Hard Not to Love, 122, f, 4, Hard Spun–Loving Vindication, by
Vindication. ‘TDN Rising Star’ ($400,000 Ylg ’17 KEESEP).
O-Mercedes Stables LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Scott
Dilworth, Dorothy & David Ingordo & F. Steve Mooney;
B-Anderson Farms Ont. Inc. (ON); T-John A. Shirreffs. $40,000.
3–Fighting Mad, 126, f, 4, New Year’s Day–Smokey’s Love, by
Forestry. O/B-Gary & Mary West Stables (KY); T-Bob Baffert.
$24,000.
Margins: 3/4, 3/4, 7 1/4. Odds: 3.90, 3.30, 0.40.
Also Ran: Proud Emma. Scratched: Hang a Star. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Favored Harvest Moon Captures Torrey Pines In Stakes Debut

Alice Bamford and Michael Tabor's Harvest Moon ran a perfect stalking race, then proved strongest late in capturing the $100,500 Torrey Pines Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths Saturday at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif.

The 3-year-old filly test, run at a mile with six in the field, was Harvest Moon's third victory in four starts and her first score in a stakes race. She was handled by Flavien Prat, who was winning his meet-leading ninth stakes.

Harvest Moon, a daughter of Uncle Mo bred by Alice Bamford, took home $60,000 for the win pushing her earnings to $120,720. She paid $5 to win as the 3-2 favorite.

Finishing second was Pam and Martin Wygod's Secret Keeper and third was Feghali, Feghali or Mathiesen, et al's Paige Anne.

Harvest Moon covered the distance in 1:36.87 after fractions of :22.13, :45.93, 1:11.16 and 1:23.76.

“It was perfect,” said Prat. “She was nice and relaxed and I knew they were running very fast up front. She's got speed if you want it, though. Last time I hardly asked her to run. Today, she was just waiting on me. She won it very nicely.”

The stakes win was the ninth of the meet for rider Prat, but his first in the Torrey Pines. He now has 53 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the second of the meet for trainer Callaghan and his first in the Torrey Pines. He now has 13 stakes wins at Del Mar.

“We were delighted,” said Callaghan. “This filly means a lot because I trained the mother (Qaraaba), which gives it a little extra sentiment. She's an exciting, big filly that we've been super patient with and it's great that she's coming in to doing what she's doing.”

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Uncle Mo Filly Stays Unbeaten on Dirt in Torrey Pines

Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo) remained perfect in three starts going long on the dirt and gave her sire yet another new graded winner with a determined success in the GIII Torrey Pines S. on the Pacific Classic undercard.

The betting favorite was beaten for speed and was content to race in the one out and one back position with cover rounding the first turn as Secret Keeper (Into Mischief) led narrowly from Provocation (Into Mischief) to her outside. Mike Smith atop the latter upped the ante through the middle stages, sending Provocation into the lead at the 4 1/2-furlong marker, but Abel Cedillo held his ground at the fence and countered to regain command about an eighth of a mile later. In the meantime, Harvest Moon raced in a stalking third and in the clear and she came to turn up the pressure on Secret Keeper into the stretch. The latter boxed on gamely inside, but Harvest Moon had a bit too much, as she surged to the front a sixteenth of a mile from home and edged clear.

“It was perfect,” said winning rider Flavien Prat. “She was nice and relaxed and I knew they were running very fast up front. She’s got speed if you want it, though. Last time I hardly asked her to run. Today, she was just waiting on me. She won it very nicely.”

A veteran of just three previous trips to the post, Harvest Moon was a debut third when well-bet for a one-mile turf maiden at Santa Anita June 12, but graduated by 1 1/2 lengths going two turns at Los Alamitos July 3. She doubled up with a handy 4 1/4-length allowance tally over course and distance July 27.

Pedigree Notes:

Harvest Moon is the eighth graded winner and 12th stakes winner this year for Uncle Mo, who is now the sire of 34 GSWs and 61 black-type winners overall. She is bred on the same cross over Storm Cat-line stallions responsible for the likes of GI Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist and additional graded winners Ultra Brat, Auntie Joy and Life’s A Parlay.

A half-sister to GSW and 2018 GI Del Mar Oaks third-place getter Californiagoldrush, Harvest Moon is a half-sister to the 2-year-old colt Mr. Impossible (Munnings) and a yearling colt by Air Force Blue. Grade III winner Qaraaba was most recently bred to Mendelssohn.

Saturday, Del Mar
TORREY PINES S.-GIII, $100,500, Del Mar, 8-22, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:36.87, ft.
1–HARVEST MOON, 120, f, 3, by Uncle Mo
                1st Dam: Qaraaba (GB) (GSW, $171,119), by Shamardal
                2nd Dam: Mokaraba (GB), by Unfuwain
                3rd Dam: Muhaba, by Mr. Prospector
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Alice
Bamford & Michael B. Tabor; B-Alice Bamford (KY); T-Simon
Callaghan; J-Flavien Prat. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1,
$120,720. *1/2 to Californiagoldrush (Cape Blanco {Ire}), GSW
& GISP, $322,345. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Secret Keeper, 120, f, 3, Into Mischief–Candy Drawer, by
Candy Ride (Arg). O/B-Pam & Martin Wygod (KY); T-Clifford W.
Sise, Jr. $20,000.
3–Paige Anne, 120, f, 3, Take Charge Indy–Forbidden Brew, by
Milwaukee Brew. ($120,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Elie & Lori
Feghali & Kimberly & Mark Mathiesen; B-Richard Peardon
(KY); T-Simon Callaghan. $12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 5 1/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.50, 2.00, 24.50.
Also Ran: Aurelia Garland, Provocation, Sheza Girly Girl. Scratched: Merneith.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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