Uncle Mo | Horse Racing Free Tips

Uncle Mo’s Yaupon Stays Perfect in Chick Lang

L. William & Corinne Heiligbrodt’s Yaupon (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Modification, by Vindication), an impressive last out winner of Saratoga’s GII Amsterdam S. Aug. 29, made it a perfect four-for-four with a powerful, front-running victory while equaling the stakes record in Thursday’s GIII Chick Lang S. at Pimlico.

The 3-5 favorite blasted out to the front from his outside draw, and was ridden along by John Velazquez to hold a narrow advantage. He began to shake free as they straightened for home and wasn’t for catching in the stretch, rolling to a four-length victory.

Double Crown (Bourbon Courage) was second; Relentless Dancer (Midshipman) was third.

“Put him on the lead and keep him on the lead, and he keeps running,” Velazquez said. “You’ve got to ride him the first part. For the first three-sixteenths of a mile, I had to ride him just to keep his head on the business. Even at the three-eighths pole I am reminding him, ‘Hey, keep your mind on your business.’ Then when he switched down the lane, he knew. It was ‘OK, time to go.'”

The winning time of 1:09.10 for six furlongs matched Lantana Mob from 2008 for the fastest in stakes history.

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen also trained Lantana Mob, as well as 2018 Chick Lang winner and 2019 champion sprinter Mitole for these same connections.

Yaupon, a narrow debut winner at Churchill Downs June 20, took his game to the next level in his next two starts at Saratoga this summer, adding an allowance over older horses July 18 and the Amsterdam, with Beyer Speed Figures of 101 and 100, respectively.

Pedigree Notes:

The dual-graded winner Yaupon is one of 38 such winners for Uncle Mo, whose 67 black-type winners from six crops to race have him positioned in third among North American sires for 2020. Yaupon, a $255,000 OBS June acquisition (:10), is out of a Vindication mare in Modification, and Uncle Mo has crossed well with the Seattle Slew sire line previously. The Indian Charlie stallion also has the listed Canadian black-type winner Absolutely Stylish out of a Vindication mare, and has three stakes winners out of another Seattle Slew son in Bernardini: Mo Town (GI), Mopotism (GII), and Modernist (GII). Yaupon is also the second graded runner out of Modification, whose Sawyer’s Hill (Spring At Last) was second in both the 2014 GII Del Mar Derby and GII Twilight Derby. Her yearling filly by American Pharoah brought $1.2 million from Mike G. Rutherford at the recent Keeneland September sale. The mare, who is a half-sister to GSW Sky Alliance (Sky Classic), delivered a colt by Good Magic this year. She was bred back to Uncle Mo for 2021.

Thursday, Pimlico
CHICK LANG S.-GIII, $200,000, Pimlico, 10-1, 3yo, 6f, 1:09.10, ft.
1–YAUPON, 124, c, 3, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Modification (GISP, $166,116), by Vindication
2nd Dam: Swift Alliance, by Afleet
3rd Dam: Stately Bride, by Tom Rolfe
($350,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP; $485,000 RNA 2yo ’19 FTFMAR;
$255,000 2yo ’19 OBSOPN). O-L. William & Corinne
Heiligbrodt; B-Betz, Lamantia, CoCo Equine, Magers, Burns
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen; J-John R. Velazquez. $120,000.
Lifetime Record: 4-4-0-0, $288,264. *1/2 to Sawyer’s Hill
(Spring At Last), MGSP, $366,705. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Double Crown, 124, g, 3, Bourbon Courage–Two Columbus,
by Two Punch. O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing; B-Dr. & Mrs.
Thomas Bowman & Rebecca Davis (MD); T-Katherine Ritvo.
$40,000.
3–Relentless Dancer, 124, c, 3, Midshipman–Passion for Words,
by Benchmark. ($80,000 Ylg ’18 ESLYRL; $85,000 2yo ’19
OBSAPR). O-Jana Wagner & Paradise Farms Corp.; B-Paul
Pruett (LA); T-Michael J. Maker. $20,000.
Margins: 4, 1 1/4, 1. Odds: 0.60, 12.30, 17.70.
Also Ran: Little Menace, Dreams Untold, Captain Bombastic, Pitching Ari, Arkaan, Lebda. Scratched: Blackberry Wine.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

The post Uncle Mo’s Yaupon Stays Perfect in Chick Lang appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Highly Touted’ Early, Winchell Hopes Pneumatic Delivers On That Promise In Preakness

Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC's Pneumatic arrived at Pimlico early afternoon Tuesday for a start in Saturday's 145th Preakness Stakes (G1).

As racing manager for Winchell Thoroughbreds since 1980, David Fiske has seen horses such as Grade 1 winners Untapable, Tapizar and Summerly and graded-stakes winning millionaires Zanjero, Tapiture, Tenfold and Pyro come to hand.

In Pneumatic, who traveled by van from Saratoga, NY, Fiske sees a colt that is just now beginning to realize his potential.

A homebred by champion Uncle Mo out of the Tapit mare Teardrop, Pneumatic went unraced as a 2-year-old, spending time at the El Primero Training Center in Laredo, Texas owned and operated by Keith and Marilyn Asmussen. Their son, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, is Pneumatic's trainer.

Pneumatic broke his maiden at first asking Feb. 15 at Oaklawn Park, getting up by a neck while sprinting six furlongs, then beat Captain Bombastic – already a stakes winner who would go on to win two more – his first time facing winners April 11.

“He came out of Laredo pretty highly touted and flashing some talent,” Fiske said.

Pneumatic made his stakes debut in the 1 1/16-mile Matt Winn (G3), battling for the lead through the Churchill Downs stretch before yielding and running third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths. That effort earned him a date in the June 20 Belmont Stakes (G1), the traditional third leg of the Triple Crown that was shortened to 1 1/8 miles and moved up to the leadoff spot due to the postponements of the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness, finishing fourth.

“Like everybody else, we've had a little bit of trouble kind of getting our horses where we want them this year,” Fiske said. “The stakes schedule just got put into a blender. We're talking about the Preakness and it's the end of September.

“It's just been hard to get on a schedule and a rhythm and get the right prep races and stepping-stones in place for where you want to be. [Pneumatic] has kind of suffered from that a little bit this year, but he's doing well so hopefully he'll run well.”

In his most recent start, Pneumatic rolled to a popular 2 ¼-length triumph in the 1 1/16-mile Pegasus Aug. 15 at Monmouth Park under Joe Bravo, who will return to ride in the Preakness. They drew Post 10 in a field of 11 and were installed at 20-1 on the morning line.

Bravo has ridden in the Preakness four times, his best finish being his most recent, running fifth with Teeth of the Dog in 2012. Pneumatic prepared for the Preakness at the Oklahoma training track in Saratoga, following a bullet five-furlong move in 1:00.85 Sept. 21 with a maintenance half-mile in 50.20 seconds Sept. 28.

“Pneumatic is doing great. He seems to be coming up to the race in great shape,” Fiske said. “He's typically forwardly placed and he usually breaks well … so we'll see how it goes.”

Asmussen is also scheduled to saddle Max Player and Excession in his quest to win a third Preakness, having previously been victorious with Curlin (2007) and Rachel Alexandra (2009).

William H. Lawrence's Preakness contender Liveyourbeastlife arrived by van from Belmont shortly after Pneumatic Tuesday afternoon.

The post ‘Highly Touted’ Early, Winchell Hopes Pneumatic Delivers On That Promise In Preakness appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Envoutante Prompt Favorite In Remington Park Oaks

Trainer Kenny McPeek shipped Envoutante for the Grade 3 Remington Park Oaks at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., straight from two Grade 1 stakes attempts, the Ashland at Keeneland and the Alabama at Saratoga. She showed her class by easily winning the event on Sunday.

The win was McPeek's second in this race and the victory ended a two-year streak by trainer Steve Asmussen, who won the Oaks with Lady Apple and She's a Julie, the past two years, respectively. McPeek also won this race with Montana Native in 2013. Remington Park's leading rider and top rider the past two years, David Cabrera, was aboard Envoutante for the win.

“I watched some tape of her when she was at Gulfstream Park and she looked uncomfortable there, so my main thing was just to get her comfortable,” Cabrera said. “So I put her on the outside and she felt comfortable. When we went to the lead in the stretch she pricked her ears and I said, 'Uh-oh,' so I got her attention with the left stick and that's when she just drew away.”

Envoutante and Cabrera settled into a mid-pack fifth position in the early going of the 1 1/16-mile race, then moved to the lead at the top of the stretch before cruising home. She chased early fractions of :23.84 seconds for the first quarter-mile, :47.78 for the half-mile, 1:11.89 for three-quarters of a mile and 1:36.91 after a mile. By that time Envoutante was in charge.

Envoutante, a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred filly by Uncle Mo, out of the Bluegrass Cat mare Enchante, ran the exact same winning time to the hundredths of a second that She's a Julie did two years ago in the oaks – 1:43.36.

Envoutante earned $60,000 for owner Walking L Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm and now has three wins from eight starts for $215,748 in her bankroll. Paige Anne (7-1) ran second followed by third-place runner Seattle Slang (6-1) another three-quarters of a length back. The remaining order of finish in the field of eight was Trixie Racer, Jeweled Princess, Curls and Bows, Darlene Strong and Hotasapistol.

Envoutante had been competitive with the tougher company, running fourth at Saratoga in the Alabama Stakes on Aug. 15 to one of the top fillies in the country, Swiss Skydiver, who is expected to go in the Preakness in October. Prior to that in the Ashland at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., she ran third to Speech, another high-brow filly. So it was no surprise to the bettors that the class drop to a Grade 3 stakes would improve the chances of Envoutante greatly. She was sent off at the heave betting choice at 1-5 odds and paid $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10 to win, place and show.

Remington Park racing continues into a new month with a Thursday-Saturday schedule on Oct 1-3. The first race nightly is at 7:07pm-Central.

The post Envoutante Prompt Favorite In Remington Park Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Harvest Moon Shines In ‘Win And You’re In’ Zenyatta Stakes

The lone 3-year-old in the field, trainer Simon Callaghan's Harvest Moon stalked heavily favored Fighting Mad early and took charge turning for home en route to a rousing three-quarter length score in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. The Zenyatta is a pivotal steppingstone to the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

With Bob Baffert-trained Fighting Mad, a recent gate to wire G1 winner going to the early lead as expected, Harvest Moon fell into a perfect stalking trip from her number three post in a field of four fillies and mares. Lapped just outside the favorite in the run up the backstretch, Harvest Moon glided alongside Fighting Mad mid-way around the far turn and held Hard Not to Love safe late for the win.

“We thought Fighting Mad would go to the lead and we wanted to keep pressure on her,” said jockey Flavien Prat, who has now guided Harvest Moon to four consecutive wins. “My filly had never been a mile and a sixteenth, but Fighting Mad was carrying 126 pounds. You never know with a 3-year-old against older, but we got eight pounds, so that was good. It turned out this was a good distance for my filly and she really ran well.”

A 1 1/4-length winner of the G3 Torrey Pines stakes versus sophomore fillies going one mile on Aug. 22 at Del Mar, Harvest Moon was the third betting choice at 7-2 and paid $9.80 and $5.60 (no show wagering).

“We have been really patient with her early on and that's a credit to Alice (Bamford, breeder and co-owner) and Michael Tabor (co-owner),” said Callaghan. It was said that this filly has a lot of talent and they were so patient throughout the whole process. She took her time to come to hand, but she's come a long way in a short period of time.

Harvest Moon was under consideration to run against 3-year-old fillies in the G2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Preakness weekend at Pimlico, but Callaghan opted to keep the filly in Southern California.

“(Running in the Zenyatta) certainly looks like a good decision now. Myself and Alice, along with everyone else, chatted and we felt at this stage keeping her here, receiving weight from Fighting Mad, was the right thing.”

A 3-year-old bay filly by Uncle Mo, out of the Shamardal mare Qaraaba (winner of the G3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes for Callaghan and Harvest Moon's owners), Harvest Moon notched her second graded stakes win and her fourth overall win from five starts. With the winner's share of $120,000, Harvest Moon roughly doubled her earnings to $240,720.

“I'm absolutely thrilled today, completely over the moon for Harvest Moon!” said Bamford. “She's a homebred and she's just so deep in my heart and in my family's heart. It was so good to see her so well ridden today, showing off her beautiful stride … We lost her mother this year, Qaraaba, who (was) a stunning, stunning filly and each time I tell her, 'Harvest Moon, go and do it for your Mama.' And she has.”

The actual second choice in the race at 7-2, Hard Not to Love was a close third throughout and edged by the favorite late by three quarters of a length for second money while returning $5.60 to place with Mike Smith up.

Fractions on the race were 23.37, 46.51, 1:10.21 and 1:36.11.

Named for the legendary mare that remained unbeaten and became the only distaffer to ever beat the boys in the Breeders' Cup Classic by taking the 2009 running at Santa Anita, Zenyatta would then became Horse of the Year in 2010 for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs. The Zenyatta is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Race qualifier to the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 7.

The post Harvest Moon Shines In ‘Win And You’re In’ Zenyatta Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post