Uncle Mo’s King Guillermo Wins Tampa Bay Derby

King Guillermo (3c Uncle Mo x Slow Sand, by Dixieland Band) became Uncle Mo’s second Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race winner on Saturday when upsetting the Grade II Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby.

Coming into the race off a third in the Pulpit Stakes, King Guillermo relished the 1 1/16 miles of the Kentucky Derby prep. He pushed the leader throughout the early stages of the race under Samy Camacho before challenging for the lead in the turn. By the time the field had straightened in the stretch, the race was over with King Guillermo pulling away to win by an easy 4¾ lengths for trainer Juan Avila.

"This race was perfect," Avila told Blood-Horse. "Thirty years training horses, and I've never seen a horse run like that."

Bred by Carhue Investments, Grouseridge Ltd. & Marengo Investments, the colt was purchased by Victoria’s Ranch’s Victor Martinez as a 2-year-old last year. The colt is almost guaranteed a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate with this victory giving him 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

King Guillermo is out of Slow Sand, a half-sister to two graded stakes winners and granddaughter of Grade I winner Corrazona. King Guillermo is a half-brother to Fastnet Rock’s Listed-placed Dorothy B and four other winners. Slow Sand has a yearling and a 2-year-old by American Pharoah and returned to the Triple Crown winner last year.

Already the sire of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist from his first crop, Uncle Mo also has Grade II Risen Star winner Modernist on the Kentucky Derby trail this year with that runner also having 50 points.