Harvest Moon Punches Breeders’ Cup Ticket in Zenyatta

Uncle Mo’s top-class filly Harvest Moon (3f Uncle Mo x Qaraaba, by Shamardal) won her fourth race in a row and secured her spot in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Sunday with a win in the Grade II Zenyatta Stakes.

Taking on her elders in the 1 1/16 mile race, Harvest Moon was happy to settle in second as she galloped just outside the leader. The 3-year-old filly cruised up to the leader in the turn and entered the stretch with a small advantage.

In the stretch, Harvest Moon took a clear lead and put away Grade I winning Fighting Mad before keeping fellow Grade I winner Hard Not to Love at bay by three quarters of a length. The winner of four of her five starts for breeder Alice Bamford and co-owner Michael Tabor, the filly has now won two straight graded stakes for trainer Simon Callaghan for over $240,000 in earnings.

“We have been really patient with her early on and that’s a credit to Alice and Michael Tabor,” Callaghan said. “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 is one of two graded stakes winners out of Grade III winner Qaraaba, who also has a 2-year-old by Munnings named Mr. Impossible and a yearling by Air Force Blue named Astronomer.

One of 17 stakes winners and 30 stakes horses for her sire this year, Harvest Moon provided the first half of a graded stakes double for her sire with Envoutante taking home the Grade III Remington Park Oaks just half an hour after Harvest Moon’s victory.