Kingsbarns Earns Classic Spot in G1 Stephen Foster

Kingsbarns (4c Uncle Mo x Lady Tapit, by Tapit) secured a spot in November’s Grade I Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday with a victory in the Grade I Stephen Foster Stakes.

The 1 1/8-mile race saw Kingsbarns break well before angling closer to the rail from Gate 7. The colt raced a few paths wide just behind the leaders. Around the turn, he was unleashed and in the blink of an eye was battling for the lead.

With just over a furlong left to run, he was firmly in command of the race and pulled away from there to win by 2 ½ lengths over Pyrenees and Skippylongstocking.

Trained by Todd Pletcher for Spendthrift Farm, he is now the winner of six of his nine career starts and has only finished worse than second once with wins in three stakes races.

“We’re extremely proud of this horse’s effort and for the entire team behind him,” Pletcher said. “Obviously winning a Grade I is a tremendous accomplishment. I think we’ve seen this year he’s been able to settle better than when he was a 3-year-old and show that new dimension. He sat a perfect trip today and really kicked well when turning for home.”

The Parks Investment Group-bred was an $800,000 2-year-old purchase out of Lady Tapit. That Grade III-placed mare was also fourth in a Grade I during her career before producing three winners from three named foals.

Lady Tapit is a half-sister to Grade I winner Gozzip Girl, who produced Grade II winner Chuck Nate. Another half-sister is the dam of Grade III winners Gallileo’s Town and Gianella with 10 other stakes winners and four stakes performers under Kingsbarns’s third dam.

Lady Tapit had a Munnings filly in 2023.

This was the second graded stakes winner of the day for Uncle Mo, whose two Grade I winners this year puts him third on the General Sires list in the category.