Cross-Country Double For Uncle Mo
It was a cross-country double for Uncle Mo on Saturday with impressive winners in Kentucky and California visiting the winner’s circle within hours of each other.
Running in a 1 1/16 mile dirt race at Churchill Downs in the slop, Dr. Hipp (4g Uncle Mo x Victory Lap, by Touch Gold) took charge after the opening stages of the race under Julien Leparoux. The Norm Casse-trained gelding easily cleared the field and widened his advantage in the stretch to win by 3 ½ lengths for Ten Strike Racing.
It was the second straight victory for Dr. Hipp and third of his year with the gelding taking his earnings above $100,000. Bred by Betz Thoroughbreds Inc, CoC Equine, J. Betz, Magers, Ramsby and CNHHN, he is one of five winners from six to race out of his three-time stakes winning dam.
Two hours later at Golden Gate Fields in California, Uncle Mo registered his 19th 2-year-old winner of the year when Anna Lee Encore (2f Uncle Mo x Katie Get Excited, by Stevie Wonderboy) was an all-the-way winner.
Running over a mile on the turf, Anna Lee Encore went off as the favorite and justified that choice as she took the lead from the start and never let the field get within a length of her. She showed a bit of greenness under Juan Hernandez in the stretch but that didn’t stop her from winning as she crossed the line 1 ¾ lengths in front for trainer Blaine Wright.
Bred by Mark Breen and owned by Peter Redekop B.C., Ltd., the filly was following up a second-place finish at the same track last month. She is the third winner from three to race out of Grade III-placed Katie Get Excited, who is one of two stakes horses for stakes winning Tina Fleet.
Among the leading sires this year, Uncle Mo is the sire of six graded stakes winners including dual Grade I winning 2-year-old Bast.