Mo Donegal | Horse Racing Free Tips

Uncle Mo’s Mo Donegal Gets the Bob in Remsen

Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) and Zandon (Upstart)–the top two choices in Saturday's GII Remsen S. at the Big A–both entered off promising last-out maiden victories and put on a show down the stretch with the former getting there by a hard-fought nose while surviving a stewards' inquiry in the process.

The rail-drawn, 7-5 chance Mo Donegal sat the trip in an inside fourth through easy fractions of :25.18 and :51.47 established by longshot Fromanothamutha (Unified). Locked and loaded beneath the hot-handed Irad Ortiz, Jr. rounding the far turn, he swung widest of all and into the clear in the five path at the top of the stretch.

Slightly favored Zandon, a debut winner going six furlongs at Belmont last time Oct. 9, got first run and struck the front approaching the eighth pole.

Mo Donegal was traveling nicely and looked en route to a convincing score as he began to uncork down the stretch, but Zandon fought back gamely on the inside. Mo Donegal kept on coming, however, and got the bob, and while it appeared on the head-on like the pair made contact just before the line, possibly as a result of Ortiz, Jr. angling in on Mo Donegal, the result was allowed to stand. It was a long way back to Midnight Chrome (California Chrome) in third.

“We were watching the inquiry upstairs and they put it into four screens so it was hard to see, obviously they came close together right at the finish,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I'd have to watch it again. I couldn't see from up there if they touched or not, but Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] did say it was right at the wire.”

Ortiz, Jr. added, “We were down the lane fighting in a big race. [John Velazquez] was riding his horse and I was riding mine. It was a good race and we got together a little before the wire, but it was a beautiful race. [Mo Donegal] tried his hardest and I did my best. We got lucky with the head bob and got there.”

Third with some trouble in his sprint debut at Belmont Sept. 30, the $250,000 KEESEP yearling relished the stretch out to a one-turn 1 1/16 miles in Elmont Oct. 21, earning an 82 Beyer Speed Figure while defeating the aforementioned Fromanothamutha by 1 1/2 lengths. The third-place finisher that day Life Is Great (Tapiture) returned with a blowout maiden victory at the Big A Nov. 20. Mo Donegal was making his two-turn debut in the Remsen, which offered 10-4-2-1 GI Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

This was the third Remsen win for Pletcher and second for Jerry Crawford's Donegal Racing, which annexed the early Triple Crown trail event in 2011 with Dale Romans-trained O'Prado Again.

Pletcher added, “I thought he ran great. He was getting a good, ground-saving trip and put himself in a good spot. He kind of had to angle out a little bit and lost some ground there but it looked like when he got there he is still trying to figure out how to polish it off. The other horse battled back.”

On a potential next start, he said, “I'll talk to Jerry [Crawford] and we'll see, but before the race we talked about going to Florida and wintering there. There's tons of options. We can always come back up here from there or go any direction.”

The unlucky Zandon, owned by Jeff Drown and trained by Chad Brown, raced three wide on both turns and covered 46 feet more than Mo Donegal, according to Trakus.

“[Mo Donegal] should have come down,” Brown said. “We got beat an inch. I thought we had the best horse in the race, so it's disappointing. But he's a nice horse so we'll get him going and train him towards the Derby.”

Pedigree Notes:

Callingmissbrown has had three foals on the ground, including a yearling filly by Into Mischief who brought $500,000 at Keeneland September from Solis/Litt, and is doing her part to carry on the promise shown in her own dam, Island Sand. The latter's wins included the 2004 GI Acorn and she sold for $4.2 million at the 2007 Keeneland November sale to Kern Lillingston Association while carrying her second foal by A.P. Indy. While she did produce a number of winners, including MGISP Maya Malibu (Malibu Moon), Island Sand brought just $52,000 from John Ropes at Keeneland's same sale in 2019 and was bred to the late Bernardini for next term. Callingmissbrown herself was bred to Curlin.

With only his seventh crop of racing age, Ashford Stud's Uncle Mo has churned out a remarkable number of top horses with Mo Donegal his 75th Northern Hemisphere-foaled stakes winner. Champion Nyquist leads his 40 graded winners, with additional GISW Mo Town his sire's first Remsen scorer in 2016. Other than Mo Donegal, Uncle Mo has no other stakes performers out of daughters of Pulpit, although he does have two by Pulpit's sire, A.P. Indy, and one by Pulpit's best sire son, Tapit. The late Pulpit is the broodmare sire of 85 stakes winners.

Saturday, Aqueduct
REMSEN S.-GII, $250,000, Aqueduct, 12-4, 2yo, 1 1/8m, 1:53.61, ft.
1–MO DONEGAL, 118, c, 2, by Uncle Mo
                1st Dam: Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit
                2nd Dam: Island Sand, by Tabasco Cat
                3rd Dam: Sue's Last Dance, by Forty Niner
   1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($250,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Donegal Racing; B-Ashview Farm & Colts
Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.
$137,500. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $197,800. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
   *Triple Plus*.
2–Zandon, 118, c, 2, Upstart–Memories Prevail, by Creative
Cause. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($170,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Jeff Drown; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY);
T-Chad C. Brown. $50,000.
3–Midnight Chrome, 118, c, 2, California Chrome–Tipsy At
Midnight, by Midnight Lute. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED
BLACK TYPE. ($35,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). O-Alexandria Stable;
B-New Dawn Stable, LLC & Deo Volente Farms (KY); T-J. Tyler
Servis. $30,000.
Margins: NO, 9 3/4, NK. Odds: 1.45, 1.35, 41.25.
Also Ran: Mr Jefferson, Eloquist, Who Hoo Thats Me, Fromanothamutha, Judge Davis. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Uncle Mo’s Mo Donegal Gets the Bob in Remsen appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Mo Donegal Tops Remsen Field

Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) will go postward as the likely favorite Saturday in Aqueduct's GII Remsen S. Third on debut sprinting at Belmont Sept. 30, the $250,000 KEESEP acquisition earned his diploma when extended to a route of ground at Big Sandy Oct. 21, earning an 82 Beyer Speed Figure.

“We feel like the mile and an eighth will suit him well,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He had a good work at Belmont last week. It seems like the further he goes, the better he gets.”

Chad Brown saddles a live chance in Jeff Drown's Zandon (Upstart). The dark bay rallied to victory in a six-panel event in Elmont Oct. 9.

“He ran one time going six furlongs and he won, but I've always thought of him as a pure route horse,” Brown said. “The fact that he was able to go three-quarters, I was quite impressed. I thought he would've been a late-running horse that would have needed a start, but he won. I was quite impressed by that because I don't think that's what he wants to do at all.”

Courtlandt Farms' Judge Davis (Distorted Humor) already has black-type experience, finishing third in the Nov. 7 GIII Nashua S. at Belmont. A well-beaten fourth in his career bow sprinting at Saratoga Aug. 21, the bay earned his diploma next out going two turns in the mud at Belmont Sept. 24. He adds blinkers for this event.

Who Hoo Thats Me (Keen Ice) boasts the field's highest Beyer Speed Figure, an 84, which he earned when third last time in the state-bred Sleepy Hollow S. going a mile Oct. 30. Runner-up in his Saratoga unveiling Aug. 12, the bay was fifth in the Empire-bred Funny Cide S. 15 days later. He broke his maiden in a state-bred event at Belmont Sept. 25 prior to the Sleepy Hollow.

The post Mo Donegal Tops Remsen Field appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Pure Route Horse’: Impressive Maiden Winner Zandon Stretches Out For Saturday’s Remsen

Jeff Drown's impressive maiden winner Zandon will attempt to rise to the occasion in Saturday's 106th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen for juveniles going nine furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Remsen, which offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers, has seen a number of past winners go on to win the “Run for the Roses” including, Johnstown [1938], Carry Back [1960], Pleasant Colony [1980], Go for Gin [1993] and Thunder Gulch [1994].

Trained by Chad Brown, who won the 2014 Remsen with Leave the Light On, Zandon was a 1 ½-length winner of his six-furlong debut on October 9 at Belmont Park.

Despite hitting the gate at the break, the son of second crop sire Upstart recovered and sat two lengths off the pace while saving ground in fourth down the backstretch. Joel Rosario angled Zandon a couple of paths wide down the lane and he garnered command in the final furlong to register an 80 Beyer Speed Figure on debut.

Brown said Zandon will appreciate the added distance.

Bred in Kentucky by Brereton Jones, Zandon is out of the unraced Creative Cause mare Memories Prevail – a half-sister to stakes-winners Cariba and Cairo Memories. He was bought for $170,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by his breeders' Airdrie Stud.

Rosario, who piloted last year's winner Brooklyn Strong, will attempt back-to-back Remsen scores when returning aboard Zandon from post 7.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle second-out maiden winner Mo Donegal for Jerry Crawford's Donegal Racing, who captured the 2011 Remsen with O'Prado Again.

Mo Donegal, a bay son of Uncle Mo, stretched out from 6 1/2-furlongs to 1 1/16 miles to break his maiden at second asking on October 21 at Belmont Park. Mo Donegal, heavily coaxed around the far turn, found his second wind in deep stretch to win by 1 ½ lengths while recording an 82 Beyer.

Pletcher previously captured the Remsen with Bluegrass Cat [2005] and Overanalyze [2012], both of whom contested in the following year's Kentucky Derby.

“We feel like the mile and an eighth will suit him well,” Pletcher said. “He had a good work at Belmont last week. It seems like the further he goes, the better he gets.”

Mo Donegal was bought for $250,000 from the Ashview Farm consignment at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is out of the Pulpit mare Callingmissbrown, who is out of the Grade 1-winning millionaire Island Sand.

Leaving from post 1, Mo Donegal will be ridden by return pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey will seek a fifth Remsen victory when sending out Judge Davis, who was a last out third in the Grade 3 Nashua on November 7 at Belmont Park.

Owned by Donald and Donna Adams Courtlandt Farms, the Distorted Humor bay was a distant fourth to eventual graded stakes winner Major General in his August debut at Saratoga going six furlongs before stretching out to 1 1/16 miles to break his maiden on September 24 over a muddy main track at Belmont Park.

Jose Ortiz will return to the saddle aboard Judge Davis, who adds blinkers, from post 3.

Trainer Michael Trombetta will send out R. Larry Johnson's Maryland homebred Mr. Jefferson, the lone two-time winner in the Remsen field.

The son of leading third crop sire Constitution broke his maiden at second asking in August going six furlongs at Colonial Downs. Following a distant fourth in a return to grass at Laurel Park, Mr. Jefferson added blinkers and defeated winners at 1 1/16 miles over the Laurel main track on November 4.

Mr. Jefferson is out of the Malibu Moon mare Clockstrucktwelve – a half-sister to multiple stakes-winner Never Enough Time.

Kendrick Carmouche will ride Mr. Jefferson from post 8.

Owners Cash Is King Racing and L C Racing and trainer Butch Reid, Jr. captured the 2018 Remsen with Maximus Mischief and will vie for another victory with Eloquist.

The son of Nyquist found the winner's circle last out when capturing a one-mile maiden event on October 20 at Parx. The win was a major turnaround in form for Eloquist, who finished a distant sixth in his prior two starts.

Dylan Davis will ride Eloquist from post 6.

Trainer Jorge Abreu will saddle Gold Square's New York-bred stakes-placed Who Hoo Thats Me, who was a last-out third in the Sleepy Hollow on October 30 at Belmont. The son of freshman sire Keen Ice broke his maiden at third asking by two lengths on September 25 at Belmont.

Trevor McCarthy will ride from post 2.

Completing the field are maiden Fromanuthamutha [post 4, Manny Franco], who finished second to Remsen aspirants Mo Donegal and Judge Davis in his previous two starts for trainer Ray Handal, and Monmouth turf maiden winner Midnight Chrome [post 5, Luis Saez] for trainer J. Tyler Servis.

The Remsen is carded as Race 8 on Saturday's 10-race program, which is spearheaded by the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets, and includes the Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle and the Grade 3, $250,000 Go for Wand. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

The post ‘Pure Route Horse’: Impressive Maiden Winner Zandon Stretches Out For Saturday’s Remsen appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Pletcher Prepares Following Sea, Americanrevolution For Cigar Mile

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher worked graded stakes winner Following Sea and multiple New York-bred stakes winner Americanrevolution in company this morning at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., in preparation for next Saturday's $750,000 Grade 1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Both horses completed their half-mile moves over the dirt training track rated fast in :49.21.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, Following Sea rounded out the trifecta behind Aloha West and Dr. Schivel in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 6 at Del Mar. The son of second-crop sire Runhappy entered the Sprint from a solid score against older company in the G2 Vosburgh on October 9 at Belmont Park.

Americanrevolution, a CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm owned Constitution colt, enters the Cigar Mile off an 11 ¾-length romp against fellow Empire State-breds in the Empire Classic on October 30 at Belmont, where he produced a 108 Beyer Speed Figure.

“They both went well,” said Pletcher, a four-time winner of the Cigar Mile. “It was a good breeze for them both with a solid gallop out. They both seem to be happy and healthy, knock on wood.”

Since 2000, seven 3-year-olds have bested elders in the Cigar Mile, which is the final Grade 1 event on the NYRA circuit for the calendar year.

Pletcher also worked a handful of juveniles slated for stakes action next week with Mo Donegal and Overstep breezing a half-mile in company over the Belmont training track in :49.77. Both horses are pointing towards the $250,000 G2 Remsen – a nine-furlong test for juvenile colts which offers 10-4-2-1 points towards the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

Mo Donegal, a Donegal Racing owned son of Uncle Mo, stretched out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles to break his maiden at second asking on October 21 at Belmont. Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's New York-bred Overstep, a bay son of Into Mischief bred by Chester and Mary Broman, was a close second in the state-bred Sleepy Hollow on October 30 over a sloppy and sealed Belmont main track.

Pletcher previously captured the Remsen with Bluegrass Cat [2005] and Overanalyze [2012], both of whom contested in the following year's Kentucky Derby.

Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael House's Nest registered a half-mile work in :49.79 in preparation for the $250,000 G2 Demoiselle, a nine-furlong test for juvenile fillies which offers 10-4-2-1 points toward the 2022 Kentucky Oaks.

Pletcher is a six-time winning trainer of the Demoiselle, including with subsequent Oaks victresses Ashado [2003] and Malathaat [2020].

On Friday, Pletcher saddled Repole Stable's Never Surprised to a flashy victory in the $150,000 Gio Ponti, which saw the Constitution bay garner a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure with Kendrick Carmouche in the irons. Never worse than second in a half dozen career starts, Never Surprised was previously second to Public Sector at graded stakes level in the G3 Saranac at Saratoga and the G2 Hill Prince at Belmont. Last year, he captured both his starts over the Aqueduct turf, including a wire-to-wire win over stakes-winner Hard Love in the Central Park.

Pletcher said the $100,000 Tropical Park Derby on December 26 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., remains in play.

“That's a possibility. We'll see,” Pletcher said.

The post Pletcher Prepares Following Sea, Americanrevolution For Cigar Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post