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Uncle Mo Tops Coolmore Roster at $150,000 for 2023

Uncle Mo will once again top the Coolmore America roster at $150,000 for the 2023 breeding season, the same fee at which he stood in 2022, according to a press release from Coolmore Wednesday morning. The 14-year-old stallion was the sire of 10 black-type winners in 2022, including the GI Belmont S. winner Mo Donegal.

Justify, who had four black-type winners from his first crop in 2022, will stand for the farm's second highest-fee, at $100,000, the same as in 2022. He is currently the third-leading first-crop sire by earnings.

The largest jump among the Coolmore stallions comes for Munnings. With 13 black-type winners in 2022, including the GI Woody Stephens S. winner Jack Christopher, he gets a hike from his 2022 fee of $85,000 to $100,000 to become the co-second-highest fee on the farm.

American Pharoah, who was the sire of four GI winners in 2022, gets a trim from $80,000 to $60,000.

Mendelssohn, having a strong first year at stud and currently seventh on the first-crop sires list in North America by earnings, will see his fee drop from $35,000 to $25,000.

The farm offers three new stallions in 2023: Corniche, who will stand for $30,000; Preakness winner Early Voting at $25,000; and Golden Pal, whose post-Breeders' Cup retirement was announced Wednesday morning, and will stand alongside his sire, Uncle Mo, at a fee to be determined after the Breeders' Cup.

The entire roster, with fees for 2023, will be:

American Pharoah – $60,000

Classic Empire – $15,000

Corniche – $30,000

Cupid – $5,000

Early Voting – $25,000

Echo Town – $5,000

Golden Pal – TBA

Justify – $100,00

Lookin At Lucky – $10,000

Maximum Security – $10,000

Mendelssohn – $25,000

Mo Town – $5,000

Munnings – $100,000

Practical Joke – $25,000

Tiz The Law – $30,000

Uncle Mo – $150,000

All fees live foal stands and nurses.

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Taking Stock: Freshman Sires Are Flexing

This is somewhat of a watershed year for freshman sires, with six first-crop sires within the top 10 on the list of leading sires of 2-year-olds in North America through Monday. Spendthrift stalwart Into Mischief leads the group (as he has for five of the last seven years), but the same farm's freshman Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) is second, Hill 'n' Dale's Good Magic (Curlin) is third, Coolmore America's Justify (Scat Daddy) is fourth, Hill 'n' Dale's Army Mule (Friesan Fire) is fifth, Three Chimneys's Sharp Azteca (Freud) is seventh, and Airdrie's Girvin (Tale of Ekati), relocated from Florida for the 2023 season, is ninth through Monday.

Also threatening to make the top 10 by year's end are Coolmore America's Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) in 11th, Mill Ridge's Oscar Performance (Kitten's Joy) in 15th, and Lane's End's City of Light (Quality Road) in 16th.

To put this in perspective, consider that among freshman sires in 2014 only Lane's End's Quality Road (seventh) and WinStar's Super Saver (ninth) made the top 10 list; in 2015, Coolmore America's Uncle Mo (first) was the sole first-crop representative; in 2016, there was only Darby Dan's Dialed In (ninth); in 2017, the two freshmen were WinStar's Overanalyze (ninth) and Hill 'n' Dale's Violence (10th); in 2018, only Spendthrift's duo of Cross Traffic (fourth) and Goldencents (10th) made the cut; in 2019, Coolmore America's American Pharoah (second), WinStar's Constitution (fourth), and Three Chimneys's Palace Malice (eighth) made it three for the young guns; in 2020, another trio made the list, with Darley's Nyquist (third) topping Sequel/WinStar's Laoban (fifth) and Taylor Made's Not This Time (sixth).

Last year, four freshman sires made the top 10: Three Chimneys's Gun Runner (first), Coolmore America's Practical Joke (third), Lane's End's Connect (fifth), and Coolmore America's Classic Empire (10th).

The trend is obvious, isn't it? More freshman sires are flexing their way into the top 10 this year than before, and it's not like they were uniformly the recipients of the best mares. At an opening stud fee of $150,000, Triple Crown winner Justify was getting that quality of mare, but horses like Girvin, who started off for $7,500 at Ocala Stud in Florida; Sharp Azteca at $10,000; and Army Mule at $10,000 were not.

Bolt d'Oro ($25,000), Good Magic ($35,000), Mendelssohn ($35,000), Oscar Performance ($20,000) and City of Light ($35,000) were priced to compete with one another in 2019, but they were cheaper than a number of proven sires not in the top 20 to date, such as Tapit ($225,000), Speightstown ($80,000), More Than Ready ($80,000), Ghostzapper ($85,000), Candy Ride (Arg) ($80,000), Curlin ($175,000), and Quality Road ($150,000), to name a few.

The five Breeders' Cup juvenile races will play a pivotal role in deciding where these freshmen end up when all is said and done, but several have live contenders, including the three just outside the top 10.

For first-crop sire watchers, it's going to be an interesting Breeders' Cup.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Among freshmen, Good Magic, a champion 2-year-old, holds a strong pair for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile with Breeders' Cup Challenge winner Blazing Sevens, who won the Gl Champagne S. at Belmont-at-Aqueduct, and Curly Jack, winner of the Glll Iroquois S. at Churchill. So far, Good Magic is the sire of 17 winners and three black-type winners–each of them at graded level. Only Justify has as many graded/group winners, but no freshman except for Good Magic has sired a Grade l winner so far.

Justify, who didn't race at two, has a contender in Verifying, who was second to Blazing Sevens in the Champagne, and he leads all freshman sires with four black-type winners. He's represented by 20 winners overall.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies

City of Light has a good chance in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies with Chop Chop, who lost the Gl Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland by a nose. She's one of three black-type winners for City of Light from eight winners so far.

Good Magic's Gll Sorrento S. winner at Del Mar, Vegas Magic, was most recently fourth in the Gl Del Mar Debutante, but she has points and has been training forwardly.

Justify's Just Cindy, winner of the Glll Schuylerville S. at Saratoga in July, has since been defeated in both the Gl Spinaway at Saratoga and the Alcibiades, but his daughter Justique, most recently third in the Gll Chandelier S. at Santa Anita, may be a possibility for the race.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

Mendelssohn's Delight won the Gll J.P. Morgan Chase Jessamine S. at Keeneland, a Breeders' Cup Challenge race, by five lengths with her ears pricked and looks a strong contender for the North American contingent. She's her sire's lone black-type winner from 17 winners overall.

Oscar Performance's G Laurie has points for the race as well. She was third in the Gl Natalma S. at Woodbine with a troubled trip and is one of 11 winners for Oscar Performance, who is represented by one black-type winner to date–the Grade ll-winning colt Andthewinneris.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf

Andthewinneris won the Gll Bourbon S. at Keeneland, a Breeders' Cup Challenge race, leading a one-two finish for Oscar Performance with Deer District in second. Not only that, Oscar Performance also has Lachaise, who was third in the Gll Pilgrim S. at Belmont-at-Aqueduct, with points for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Bolt d'Oro also has a couple of contenders. His Major Dude won the aforementioned Pilgrim, a Challenge race, and Boppy O won the Glll With Anticipation S. at Saratoga. They are two of four black-type winners for Bolt d'Oro, who is represented by 19 winners.

City of Light's Battle of Normandy, second in the With Anticipation, also has points for the race, as does freshman sire Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) with I'm Very Busy, second in the Pilgrim. Cloud Computing doesn't have a black-type winner yet, but he's represented by eight winners.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Sharp Azteca's undefeated Iowa-bred Tyler's Tribe has been penciled in for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. He's never raced over turf, but he's registered some sparkling Beyer Speed Figures in dirt sprints, and his sire has been represented by some turf winners. Tyler's Tribe is one of three black-type winners for Sharp Azteca, who has 23 winners. One of them is Sharp Aza Tack, who won the Listed Tyro S. at Monmouth over five furlongs on turf by 7 1/4 lengths, and he could be a possibility for this race as well. He last worked five furlongs over Keeneland's all-weather training track in 1:00.20 Saturday.

City of Light's Gaslight Dancer, who was second by a neck in the six-furlong Glll Futurity S. at Belmont-at-Aqueduct on turf, also has points for the race.

A Takeaway

The freshman sires competing to make this list are doing so not only against others with first crops, but also against established sires. They are also fighting to make themselves relevant for next year, because in the commercial marketplace that now exists, a poor showing this year will mean fewer mares to cover next spring. It's paramount, therefore, that they get some graded winners or a Grade l winner among their first 2-year-olds, and it's for this reason that stud farms front load their books as much as they can with more quality than most will see again unless they are successful.

One result of this is that a stallion's second, third and fourth books usually tend to yield less quality than the first, and yearling buyers, aware of this phenomenon, tend to pay more for first-crop yearlings.

Moreover, even those stallions that end up in the top 10 this year aren't necessarily guaranteed to succeed, unless their first 3-year-olds continue to win next year. Note that in 2017, Overanalyze was ninth on this list but is no longer in Kentucky, while Violence, who was 10th the same year, has continued to make a mark and is represented by Forte, the leading 2-year-old in the East this year.

Some excellent stallions have also emerged from a prominent spot as freshmen on this list over the years. In 2014, it was Quality Road; in 2015, Uncle Mo; in 2019, American Pharoah and Constitution; in 2020, Not This Time; and last year, Gun Runner.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

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Spotlight on the Night of the Stars: Bellafina and Donna Veloce

Separated by just one year in age, Bellafina (Quality Road -Akron Moon, by Malibu Moon) and Donna Veloce (Uncle Mo – Coin Broker {Ire}, by Montjeu {Ire}) were both $800,000 2-year-old purchases for owner-breeder Kaleem Shah. Both were brilliant juveniles on the racetrack, with one becoming a 'TDN Rising Star' on debut and the other winning a pair of Grade I contests at two, and they each went on to achieve further graded stakes success throughout their careers. Retired from racing after their 2020 campaigns, they now both have one foal already on their produce records and are in foal to Coolmore's multiple Grade I-winning young sire Tiz the Law.

In just a few weeks, Bellafina and Donna Veloce will be offered along with their first foals at the Fasig-Tipton 'Night of the Stars' Sale. Their consignor Reiley McDonald of Eaton Sales is a firm believer that mares of this quality do not come around often.

“I've been doing this for 35 years and I can tell you that this is so exciting to me,” he said. “To be a part of it and sell mares like this really doesn't happen every day. My partner Ben McElroy was very instrumental in helping purchase these mares. You'll never see a horse that Ben has bought that is not stunningly beautiful and that is the case with these two mares.”

Kaleem Shah and his buying team landed both mares at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale. Bellafina sold for $800,00 in 2018 and the following year, Donna Veloce brought the same price after working the co-fastest breeze time in :9 4/5.

“It's rare in the Thoroughbred industry when a plan comes to fruition and is executed perfectly,” reflected Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning. “In back-to-back years, Kaleem and his team did that at the Gulfstream 2-Year-Old In Training Sale. Bellafina was one of the most brilliant performers that we had in the under-tack show that year and she looked beautiful on the end of a shank. Donna Veloce was another exceptional performer at the breeze show and back at the barn, she was a magnificent physical individual. Kaleem and his team accomplished what they set out to do, which was to buy the best fillies at the sale and achieve great success on the racetrack.”

Bellafina was the first of the pair to get her start with trainer Simon Callaghan. She broke her maiden at second asking in the GII Sorrento S., where the daughter of Quality Road bested the field by over four lengths, and she continued her win streak that year in the GI Del Mar Debutante S. and the GI Chandelier S.

Much of what made Bellafina such a juvenile success, McDonald said, was her outstanding physical.

“She was of good size as a 2-year-old,” he explained. “She was not a small, petite filly. She was a big filly with tons of speed. She had the hip and the shoulder to give her all the speed, but the leg and the length to carry her a distance. She won everywhere from six furlongs to a mile and a sixteenth.”

In 2019, Bellafina was the best of the West in her division, reeling off wins in the GII Santa Ynez S., GII Las Virgenes S. and GI Santa Anita Oaks, and later running a close second in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. At four, she claimed her seventh graded stakes score in the GIII Desert Stormer S. before retiring with over $1.6 million in earnings.

“I think what Bellafina had that set her apart was tactical speed,” McDonald said. “She had the ability to run fast, but also the ability to turn it off and on. That was Bellafina. She's also by a sire, Quality Road, that gives speed and heart to his racehorses. You put her pedigree together with that kind of physical and heart, that's what made her so special.”

Bellafina was bred to Uncle Mo and produced her first foal this year. That filly will sell as Hip 128 at the 'Night of the Stars' Sale while her dam will go through the ring later in the evening as Hip 264.

After that, Bellafina's former stablemate Donna Veloce will sell as Hip 281.

Donna Veloce joined the Callaghan barn in 2018 and turned heads soon after in her flashy debut at Santa Anita. The Uncle Mo filly took the lead early and looked the winner throughout, breaking away from the field in the stretch to win by over nine lengths.

“I remember watching that and thinking that this was not only a TDN Rising Star, this was a world-class rising star,” McDonald recalled. “The way she did it was like an older horse. I think we knew right then she was very special.”

Donna Veloce faced a tough task in her second start when she took on the best of her division in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, but she was impressive even in defeat when she fought to run second by a neck to British Idiom (Flashback). She was second in the GI Starlet S. to close out her juvenile season and then returned a winner at three in the GIII Santa Ysabel S.

Just as he described with Bellafina, McDonald said that Donna Veloce's physical strengths led to her achievements on the racetrack.

Donna Veloce against a Kentucky autumn backdrop | Sara Gordon

“She has a beautiful neck and shoulder set and plenty of length to carry that speed over a distance,” he explained. “She has a massive hip and quarter on her as well.”

McDonald described Donna Veloce's first foal, a filly by Justify, as a “magnificent foal.” That youngster will sell as Hip 159 at Fasig-Tipton.

He said he expects Donna Veloce, whose second and third dams are both Grade I winners, to draw interest from all types of buyers.

“She certainly hits our American market right between the eyes,” McDonald said. “She has the looks, the American pedigree, and she was a Classic distance horse. I think she has all the qualifications to be extremely attractive to buyers where there is dirt racing, but bred in any way you might wish, for turf racing as well. She has a ton of speed and that will be attractive to buyers all over the world.”

Both mares will be offered carrying foals by four-time Grade I winner Tiz the Law. Browning said he believes the son of Constitution has all the potential to be a leading sire once his foals hit the racetrack.

“I believe that Tiz the Law is one of the most underrated stallions prospects that we've come across in my professional career,” he said. “He had the misfortune of being brilliant on the racetrack in 2020 during the COVID year. He won the GI Champagne S. by open lengths in 2019 and his resume that he put together in 2020 was truly remarkable. He had four consecutive graded stakes wins and his average margin of victory was greater than three lengths in each of those races.”

“Tiz the Law's pedigree is very intriguing as well,” Browning continued. “He's by Constitution, who we're seeing emerge as one of the top stallions in North America. Interestingly, Tiz the Law is out of a graded stakes-winning mare on turf and she comes from the family of Favorite Trick, who was named Horse of the Year as a 2-year-old, so you get this great combination of precocity and stamina, turf influences and dirt influences. It's a really unique package.”

“Tiz the Law is a beautiful horse and I think he has every chance to make it in a big way,” McDonald echoed before adding that he is eager to get both mares out in front of buyers. “They're incredible mares, both extremely good 2-year-olds, and I think that when we put them in front of the public, that's when they will sell themselves.”

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Observations: Son Of Together Forever Debuts at Leopardstown

2.05 Leopardstown, Mdn, €16,000, 2yo, c/g, 8fT
BERTINELLI (Justify) is one of two from Ballydoyle in a race the stable won two years ago with Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and which has served as a stepping stone to the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. A son of the G1 Fillies' Mile heroine Together Forever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is a full-sister to the Oaks heroine Forever Together (Ire), the half-brother to the G3 Tyros S. winner Military Style (War Front) joins the yard's Naas runner-up Peking Opera (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in a line-up including Sean and Bernardine Mulryan's Sea Gardens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a Joseph O'Brien-trained half-brother to the G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis scorer Danceteria (Fr) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) from the family of Lope De Vega (Ire).

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