Multiple graded stakes winner Modernist, a son of perennial leading sire Uncle Mo from a prolific female family, has been retired and will begin his new career as a stallion in 2022 at Darby Dan Farm in a deal brokered by Matt Bowling, the farm announced today.
Modernist will participate in Darby Dan's Share The Upside program for a fee of $10,000. On the one-year commitment, breeders will earn a lifetime breeding right after having one live foal and satisfying the stud fee. For breeders not interested in earning a lifetime breeding right, Modernist will be offered for $10,000 S&N.
“We are excited to offer Modernist to breeders through our Share the Upside Program,” said Ryan Norton, stallion director at Darby Dan Farm. “He is a tremendously good-looking horse with a mind to match and hails from a strong and accomplished female family.”
A homebred for Martin and Pam Wygod trained by Bill Mott, Modernist enjoyed his best season as a sophomore at three in 2020. In his first start of the year, he was a dominating four-length maiden special weight winner at Aqueduct in January and followed that impressive wire-to-wire victory with a determined score in the $400,000 G2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in his initial foray into stakes company.
With Junior Alvarado aboard, Modernist prompted the early pace in the 1 1/8-mile Risen Star. He drew even with the pacesetter before the half-mile pole, surged clear in the stretch, and drew clear late to prevail by a length at the wire. In another determined effort in his subsequent start, Modernist finished third in the $1 million G2 Louisiana Derby after a wide trip that saw him race four to five-wide around the far turn.
“He won at 1 1/8 miles in New York and progressed really well in the early part of his 3-year-old year,” Mott said about Modernist following the Risen Star victory. “He's become more mature and is professional about everything. He has plenty of stamina, as well as tactical speed. Disposition is so important in these kinds of races, and he has a lot of composure.”
In 2021, Modernist annexed the G3 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct, defeating Haikal by 2 1/2 lengths and was runner-up in both the $100,000 G3 Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and the G3 Pimlico Special Match Series Stakes at Pimlico, outfinishing six black-type winners, including Grade 1 winner Max Player and graded stakes winners Harpers First Ride, Fearless, and Enforceable. All told, Modernist won three of 11 outings, placed in four others, and banked $576,300 while competing against the best of his generation.
The newest son of heralded Uncle Mo to retire to stud, Modernist hails from a prolific female family. He is out of the unraced Bernardini mare Symbolic Gesture, a half-sister to both Sweet Catomine, champion 2-year-old filly and winner of the 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, as well as the 2005 G1 Santa Anita Oaks, and Del Mar Debutante, and Life Is Sweet, winner of the 2009 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic and an earner of $1,820,810.
Modernist's second dam is stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Sweet Life, Broodmare of the Year in 2009 and a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Pirate's Revenge and stakes winners Echo of Yesterday and Caribbean Pirate.
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