Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes winner Laoban, a son of champion and perennial leading sire Uncle Mo, is relocating from Sequel Stallions in New York to WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky.
A limited number of seasons will be offered at $25,000 S&N until the Breeders' Cup. The fee is subject to change pending results as Laoban has contenders in the $2-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, the $2-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and the $1-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.
The leading New York freshman sire with debut winners sprinting and routing on dirt and turf, Laoban is represented by the undefeated Simply Ravishing, a dominating 6 1/4-length winner of the G1 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland where she ran an 89 Beyer, the fastest 2-year-old Beyer of Keeneland's fall meet. Prior to that eye-catching score, she strolled home a 6 1/2-length winner of the P.G. Johnson Stakes at seven furlongs on the dirt at Saratoga, which followed a maiden-breaking win at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Saratoga in her career debut for trainer Ken McPeek.
Additional top performers include graded stakes-placed runners Keepmeinmind, second in Keeneland's G1 Breeders' Futurity and Ava's Grace, third in the G2 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga.
“My phone lit up before the filly crossed the wire at Keeneland,” said Becky Thomas of Sequel Stallions. “In the following days, we were overwhelmed with calls from all of the very top stallion farms in Kentucky.
“Laoban is stamping his foals and proving to be a cookie-cutter of the Uncle Mo style of stretch and athleticism,” Thomas continued. “Since receiving the foals from New York, they certainly looked the part, but once we started training them at Winding Oaks, I knew that he was going to be something special. Talking with other horsemen in Ocala who were training his first crop of 2-year-olds and seeing them perform consistently, he was the buzz horse all season. Then, for him to become the first New York stallion to sire a Grade 1 winner in his first crop is absolutely incredible. It is truly a humbling experience to be a part of what is becoming such an important young stallion. WinStar is a great fit for him and he is sure to get a wide variety of nice mares coming from all their partnerships and support. We couldn't be more excited about his future.”
In winning the 2016 Jim Dandy in wire-to-wire fashion over a top-class field, Laoban defeated Belmont Stakes and G1 Arkansas Derby winner Creator and multiple graded stakes winners Mohyamen and Destin. The handsome dark bay did not need to take his track with him, making nine starts at eight different tracks in 10 months, banking $526,250. In addition to his impressive Jim Dandy victory, Laoban was runner-up in the G3 Gotham Stakes and placed in the G3 Sham Stakes.
A complete outcross in his first four generations, Laoban, a $260,000 Keeneland September sale yearling bred in Kentucky by Respite Farm, is produced from Chattertown, a stakes-placed daughter of leading sire Speightstown and a three-quarter sister to multiple Grade 1 winner and multi-millionaire I'm a Chatterbox.
“I have tremendous respect for Becky and her Sequel operation,” said Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager. “We are excited to partner with her and the original shareholders and we are appreciative of the efforts of Siena, Taylor Made, and Breeze Easy in bringing Laoban to Kentucky. Laoban is a beautiful son of Uncle Mo who might have three horses in the Breeders' Cup and we believe Uncle Mo is an important sire line for the next generation. Having Laoban join third-leading freshman sire Outwork on our roster gives us two of his exciting three sons with 2-year-olds this year.”
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