Grammy Award-winning artist Diplo will headline the 2023 Belmont Racing Festival with a special performance prior to the Belmont S. The New York Racing Association, Inc. announced Friday.
Highlighted by the 155th running of the GI Belmont S.–the final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown–the Belmont Racing Festival is a three-day celebration of racing and entertainment beginning Thurs., June 8 and culminating Sat., June 10.
Donegal Racing and Repole Stable's Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo–Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit), last seen validating favoritism with a three-length victory in the GI Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets June 11, has been retired from racing and will enter stud for the 2023 breeding season at Spendthrift Farm. He will command a fee of $20,000, stands and nurses terms.
Bred in Kentucky by the Lyster family's Ashview Stud in partnership with Richard Santulli's Colts Neck Stables–also the breeders of Belmont S. runner-up and leading 3-year-old filly Nest (Curlin)–Mo Donegal was purchased by Jerry Crawford's operation for $250,000 from the Ashview consignment at the 2020 Keeneland September sale and was turned over to trainer Todd Pletcher, for whom he won two of three starts as a juvenile, including a gritty defeat of future GI Toyota Blue Grass S. hero Zandon (Upstart) in a thrilling renewal of the GII Remsen S. last December.
A slow-starting, even third in the GIII Holy Bull S. on seasonal reappearance this past February, Mo Donegal bounced back with a battling tally in the GII Wood Memorial, accounting for next-out GI Preakness S. victor Early Voting (Gun Runner). It was announced by Donegal eight days prior to the running of the GI Kentucky Derby that Mike Repole had acquired a minority interest in the colt, who, sent off at just over 10-1 for the Run for the Roses, lagged well behind after breaking from the rail, was 10 wide into the lane and got home well to finish fifth, beaten just under four lengths. The 5-2 choice for the Belmont, Mo Donegal sat handier to the pace and finished up full of run to score by three lengths. In early July, Donegal reported that Mo Donegal was suffering from bone bruising and would miss 60 days. He retires to the breeding shed with a record of 4-0-2 from seven starts and earnings of $1,511,800.
“The Donegal Racing partners and I could not be more proud of Mo Donegal and the special places he took us the last two seasons,” said Crawford. “The timing of the bone bruising was unfortunate and not going to allow us to make any of our target races for the remainder of the year. We felt the best decision was to retire him, and we are excited that he'll get a wonderful opportunity to make a great stallion at a place like Spendthrift.”
Mo Donegal is one of three winners from three to the races for his dam, whose 2-year-old Pletcher-trained daughter Prank (Into Mischief), a $500,000 KEESEP purchase, was named a 'TDN Rising Star' with a powerful 9 3/4-length debut win at Saratoga July 31. Callingmissbrown is a daughter of 2004 GI Acorn S. heroine Island Sand (Tabasco Cat), herself the dam of dual Grade I-placed juvenile Maya Malibu (Malibu Moon), while the deeper female family includes Queen's Plate winner Niigon (Unbridled). Callingmissbrown is back in foal to Uncle Mo.
“It's always exciting when you can acquire a stallion prospect of the caliber of Mo Donegal, and we are thankful to Jerry Crawford, Mike Repole and the Donegal Racing partners for the opportunity,” said Ned Toffey, general manger of Spendthrift where the Repole part-owned GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso (Curlin) also stands. “It's not often you can offer breeders a Classic winner by an emerging sire of sires, which Uncle Mo appears to be. On top of that, Mo Donegal is very good-looking, comes from a brilliant and active family, was a 2-year-old graded stakes winner and defeated some of the best from a pretty good crop of 3-year-olds this year. We expect him to be extremely popular, and we invite breeders to come out and see him.”
Added Pletcher: “The Classic winners that come through our program will always be special to me, and Mo Donegal showed in his Belmont Stakes win what we have always thought of him,” said Pletcher. “We went into the (Kentucky) Derby this year with a lot of confidence, but the one hole was just too much to overcome. Obviously, having trained Uncle Mo, it was nice for us to be able to campaign one of his best sons. Mo Donegal showed immense talent from the first time we breezed him at two, and he's always been a very classy, good-minded, good-looking colt. I'd have to imagine breeders will love him.”
Saturday's Belmont S. Day card, highlighted by Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo)'s victory in the 154th running of the $1.5 million GI Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets, generated all-sources handle of $98,766,906.
On-track handle for the 13-race program, which included eight top-level races among nine total stakes, was $9,530,303. All-sources handle for the Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets alone was $50,248,624.
The three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which featured 17 stakes and 33 races in total from Thursday through Saturday, June 9-11, generated all-sources handle of $127,810,604.
The construction of UBS Arena, which opened its doors to the public in November, has significantly altered and reduced the size of the Belmont Park backyard. As a result of this change to the property, Belmont Park is currently operating at fan capacity of 50,000.
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay has acquired an interest in recent GIII Peter Pan S. romper and 'TDN Rising Star'We the People (Constitution), who figures to be one of the top betting choices in Saturday's GI Belmont S. on Long Island. The famed restaurateur also bought into Creator (Tapit) ahead of his Belmont victory in 2016. Flay joins an ownership group that consists of WinStar Farm, CMNWLTH and Siena Farm on the Rodolphe Brisset trainee.
“I'm thrilled to join the We the People team,” said Flay. “I have been an admirer of this colt since he started his career at the beginning of this year. I want to thank Lisa and Kenny Troutt of WinStar for giving me this exciting opportunity. Winning the 2016 Belmont with Creator will be a moment that me and my family will never forget.”
WinStar President, CEO, and Racing Manager Elliott Walden, added, “We appreciate Bobby wanting to partner with us again. He is great for the business, and a great partner.”
A 5 3/4-length debut winner going a mile at Oaklawn Feb. 12, We the People earned 'Rising Star' honors with a five-length allowance tally in Hot Springs one month later. He failed to fire when a low-odds seventh in the GI Arkansas Derby Apr. 2, but turned it around in a big way in the Peter Pan May 14, leading every step of the nine-furlong trip to score by 10 1/4 lengths.
A $110,000 Keeneland November weanling, We the People was a $220,000 Keeneland September purchase and was knocked down to WinStar for $230,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale.
