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Uncle Mo Filly Tops Opening Session Of Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale

After Sunday's card wrapped up at Saratoga Race Course, the attention moved down East Avenue to the Humphrey S. Finney Pavillion, where the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale took place, led by a $495,000 filly by Uncle Mo.

Sunday's opening session, which comprised about a third of the overall catalog, saw 62 horses change hands for revenues of $6,497,500. The average sale price finished at $104,798, the median was $80,000, and the buyback rate closed at 24 percent.

Thomas Gallo held on to Sunday's session-topper on behalf of his Dream Maker Racing for $495,000.

The bay filly, offered as Hip 341, is out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Averymerrymoment, whose six foals to race are all winners, including stakes-placed Satisfy. She hails from the family of Grade 1 winner Rutherienne. Gallo consigned the filly, as agent.

The filly was bred in New York by the partnership of Mia Gallo, Mary Kopley, Michael Newton, and Elizabeth Weese, and the purchase saw the Gallos buy out their partners on the horse to start her racing career under the Dream Maker Racing banner.

The Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale continues Monday, beginning at noon, eastern.

To view the session's full results, click here.

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Central Banker Cementing His Place Among New York’s Elite Sires

Central Banker has been on a steady ascent among New York's stallion ranks since entering stud in 2015, and he's halfway toward his goal of making it all the way to the top this season.

With 7 1/2 months of 2021 in the books, the 11-year-old son of Speightstown is currently New York's leading sire by earnings by a comfortable margin, with 79 runners making a combined $2,653,913. The next closest is Big Brown with $1,659,689.

If he should finish the season at the top of the New York sire standings, it would complete a climb up the charts that saw him finish second to Big Brown last year, third to Big Brown and Freud in 2019, and 10th in 2018 with just his freshman crop.

John McMahon, farm manager for McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, said the key to Central Banker's success was being the right horse at the right time for the New York program, in terms of the profile of his foals and the types of races available where they excel.

This is evident in the stakes runners that Central Banker has put on the track. He is currently New York's leading sire by 2021 stakes winners, with three. Much like the earnings race, he was second among Empire State sires by stakes winners in 2020 and third in 2019.

“He's a very consistent stallion,” McMahon said. “They run well at six furlongs on the dirt, and they tend to run early. There's a lot of races written that they tend to be very competitive in.”

Whether Central Banker tops the sire list this year or not, he is in a prime position to continue being at or near the top of the standings for years to come.

His first crop came out blazing, easily claiming New York's freshman sire title, and finishing fourth nationally in the 2018 freshman race, behind just Cross Traffic, Goldencents, and Cairo Prince.

That group was led by Bankit, who made $329,625 in his juvenile season. Bankit's form has remained consistent into his 5-year-old season in 2021, which includes stakes wins at Belmont Park and Laurel Park, and most recently, a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup Stakes.

Breeders responded to Central Banker's leading freshman year by packing his book with 130 mares for the 2019 breeding season. He was then New York's second-most active stallion in 2020, with 114 mares visiting him.

The cycle of popularity for a young stallion tends to reach its apex in the first couple years, then drop off in the next two as breeders wait to see if his first foals will be competitive runners. It was a boon to have the breeders come back after his strong freshman season, but many never left. Central Banker has yet to cover less than 76 mares in a season.

“I think McMahon of Saratoga is good at putting a foundation of mares underneath a stallion,” McMahon said. “The important thing is you have a good foundation of mares behind you, and (farm owner) Joe McMahon has a really keen eye for getting good mares and creating a good infrastructure of breeders to help move a stallion along. It's not a one-man show. It's people in our region who own mares, it's people out of our region who own mares. We're all reaping the rewards of a program which is geared toward helping a young stallion get a foothold. We're in the right state at the right time with the right horse.”

Having so many foals on the ground and at the track is a critical part of Central Banker's success, but McMahon said what makes it all work is the stallion making use of those numbers with an assembly line-like uniformity.

“They're very consistent physically, so you know what you're getting into as a breeder when you breed to a horse like Central Banker,” McMahon said. “He tends to put size on a smaller mare and tends to take a bigger mare and put a little more body into her.

“I've never had a bad hind leg on a horse, never had a club foot,” he continued. “There are some things that are just automatic throw-outs when you're looking at horses, and he never has them.”

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Got Stormy Makes History Again With Second Win In Fourstardave

Two years after securing a triumph in the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave in record-setting fashion, MyRacehorse Stable and Spendthrift Farm's Got Stormy bested males again in the 2021 edition, displaying stalking tactics and making a menacing stretch rally to capture the prestigious one mile event for 3-year-olds and up over the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course.

In capturing the Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” qualifier, Got Stormy earned an automatic entry into the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile on November 6 at Del Mar. Four of the last ten editions of the Fourstardave were captured by the subsequent winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile with World Approval [2017], Tourist [2016] and Wise Dan [2012-13] securing the Fourstardave-Breeders' Cup Mile double. Got Stormy finished second to Uni in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Mile.

Got Stormy, a 6-year-old daughter of 2010 Fourstardave victor Get Stormy, arrived at Saturday's engagement off two fifth-place finishes at graded stakes level. But the talented chestnut mare got back to winning form in a familiar spot, becoming the first horse to capture multiple editions of the Fourstardave since 2012-13 Horse of the Year Wise Dan.

Sent off as the third choice in her 2019 Fourstardave coup, Got Stormy returned $27 as the third longest shot in the eight-horse field.

“This was maybe even more exciting because they wrote her off,” Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said. “They did the same to [2015 Champion Turf Female] Tepin, and she came back. I'm really proud. There's been some bumps along the road with her, but she came when it was time.”

Breaking from post 6 under Tyler Gaffalione, Got Stormy tracked in third as graded stakes-winner Blowout, one of three distaffers in the field, flaunted her usual frontrunning tactics through an opening quarter-mile in 23.45 seconds, 2 ½-lengths clear of 19-1 longshot Whisper Hill in second. Through a half-mile in 46.69 over firm going, Got Stormy maintained third position approaching the far turn as Gaffalione weaved the accomplished mare two paths wide and in the clear.

Blowout was still in front in upper stretch but Got Stormy collared the pacesetter nearing the furlong marker and drew away to a 1 ½-length victory in a final time of 1:33.09.

Set Piece was a late-rallying second, a half-length ahead of Grade 1 Jackpocket Jaipur-winner Casa Creed.

Got Stormy secured a third Grade 1 conquest, and seventh overall graded stakes win. In addition to her two non-consecutive Fourstardave victories, she captured the Matriarch at Del Mar in November 2019.

“She was taking me the whole way,” said Gaffalione, a three-time stakes winner this meet. “I was able to tuck in and save ground. She relaxed beautifully down the backside. Going into the turn she started to pick up on her own and she started creeping up. When I put her outside, she unleased a big run and it was all over from there.”

Casse said a second Breeders' Cup Mile will likely be in the works following Saturday's victory.

“It would have to be the Mile,” Casse said. “I have to think [about potential races in between]. It's so difficult with her; there's things she really likes and things she doesn't. I took her to Woodbine two years ago and she got beat there [second in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile]. I have to think it over. I have to talk to the owners, so we'll figure it out.

“It turned out perfect,” Casse continued. “It's what she loves; they'll have some sharp turns at Del Mar [in the Breeders' Cup Mile], so that'll work out just fine. You could see how well she was training. She loves it here. She trains great here.”

Jockey Florent Geroux, aboard runner-up Set Piece, said his horse may not have cared for the surface.

“He did great. I felt the track wasn't playing in our favor,” Geroux said. I was up against it from the beginning since my horse is a deep closer, but he came running at the end. I'm very proud of his effort and he ran a good race. The mare really loved the track and she's great at this time of the season.”

Got Stormy, previously owned by Gary Barber, was purchased by her current ownership group for $2.75 million at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
Bred in Kentucky by Mt. Joy Stables, Pope McLean, Marc McLean and Pope McLean, Jr., Got Stormy banked $275,000 in victory, enhancing her lifetime bankroll to $2,398,403 through a record of 30-12-5-3.

Completing the order of finish were Blowout, Daddy Is a Legend, Raging Bull, Whisper Not and Field Pass.

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PR Back Ring Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale: Najja Thompson On The Empire State Program’s Future

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS EDITION OF THE PR BACK RING

The latest issue of the PR Back Ring is now online, ahead of the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale.

The PR Back Ring is the Paulick Report's bloodstock newsletter, released ahead of every major North American Thoroughbred auction. Seeking to expand beyond the usual pdf presentation, the Back Ring offers a dynamic experience for bloodstock content, heavy on visual elements and statistics to appeal to readers on all platforms, especially mobile devices.

Here is what's inside this issue…

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS EDITION OF THE PR BACK RING

Lead Feature presented by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds: Najja Thompson, executive director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc., discusses the present and future of the state's breeding program with bloodstock editor Joe Nevills.
Stallion Spotlight: Syndicate manager Chris Bernhard on Redesdale, whose first foals are yearlings of 2021.
Lesson Horses Presented By Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.: Mid-Atlantic horseman Clovis Crane discusses the former bucking horse that taught him about life and horsemanship.
The Stat Presented By New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc.: Leading graduates of the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale by racetrack earnings.
First-Crop Sire Watch: First yearlings of the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred yearling sale, with the number of horses cataloged and the farms where they are currently advertised.

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS EDITION OF THE PR BACK RING

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