Uncle Mo paddock

Uncle Mo Colt Wins California Cup Derby

The Jerry Hollendorfer trained colt Galilean (3c Uncle Mo x Fresia, by El Prado) made it three wins from four starts when scoring a commanding victory in the $188,000 California Cup Derby at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Making his first appearance for 2019, Galilean tracked the leader and then surged clear to win the 1 and 1/16th mile contest by four and a half lengths.

“You’re always a little anxious coming off a little bit of a layoff, but he did everything perfect, rated perfectly, and you couldn’t ask for much more than that,” said Hollendorfer.

“We have a whole bunch of options [for his next race]. There are a lot of races everywhere for him and we’re nominated everywhere, so we’ll try to make a good decision as to where to run next.”

The $600,000 sale-topper at April’s Barretts Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, Galilean is the first winner for Fresian, a half-sister to Grade III winner His Race to Win.