Long Neck Paula Romps in Debutante
Uncle Mo’s Saratoga stakes placed daughter Long Neck Paula (2f Uncle Mo x Take Charge Paula, by Take Charge Indy) shipped to Prairie Meadows on Friday to win the Prairie Meadows Debutante Stakes by 7 ½ lengths.
Making her third career start, the Wesley Ward trainee was hustled out of the gate in the six-furlong dirt race. Racing three wide in the first quarter while positioned a length off the leader, jockey Pablo Morales gave her a bit more rein going into the turn to challenge for the lead.
Long Neck Paula quickly did exactly that, racing up then past the front runners when well in-hand and ready for whatever challenges came in the stretch. There was no need to be worried, with Morales just having to shake the reins in the final furlong for the filly to romp away from the field for a 7 ½ length victory.
Racing for Will Stroud, Long Neck Paula now has two wins and a third in her three starts after finishing third last out at Saratoga in the Listed Schuylerville. A $325,000 Keeneland September yearling, Long Neck Paula was sold to Ward for $500,000 from Top Line Sales at OBS March earlier this year.
Bred by WinStar Farm, Long Neck Paula is out of the Grade III winner and multiple Grade II-placed Take Charge Paula. One of two stakes performers out of her own dam, Take Charge Paula has produced two winners from three to race.
This is the 10th stakes winner of the year for Uncle Mo, who also has 22 stakes performers to put him seventh by stakes winners and fifth by stakes performers among all North American sires this year.