Girl Daddy Continues Hot Streak for Uncle Mo in G3 Pocahontas
Uncle Mo started September just as he’d left August – with a stakes winner. This time, it was 2-year-old Girl Daddy (2f Uncle Mo x Cara Marie, by Unbridled’s Song) winning the Grade III Pocahontas Stakes.
An impressive 5½ length winner over six furlongs on debut, Girl Daddy easily handled the stretch out to a mile at Churchill Downs.
Breaking a step slow under Joe Talamo allowed Girl Daddy to avoid getting pinched by the far outside horse, who broke inward and Talamo quickly positioned his mount three wide just behind the leaders. Proving to be a complete professional in her second start, Girl Daddy inched closer to the leaders around the turn and had the perfect spot to take the lead with a quarter mile left to run.
Girl Daddy quickly left the others behind under hand urging from her jockey. It was an eased down final furlong with Girl Daddy winning by two lengths and the rest of the field nearly four lengths behind the second place horse.
Trained by Dale Romans for Albaugh Family Stables, Girl Daddy was a $500,000 purchase at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Bluewater Sales consignment.
“This filly was super impressive with that fast pace up front,” said trainer Dale Romans. “They were running really fast but Joe got her in a great spot. She’s shown some incredible talent for this stage of her career. It’s exciting having a filly developing this quickly. We’re thrilled to only have to take a short trip down the road to Keeneland for the Breeders’ Cup.”
The filly is the first runner for breeder China Horse Club’s stakes winner and Grade II-placed Cara Marie, who is a half-sister to stakes winning Abby’s Angel, the dam of Grade III winner and Grade I-placed Comicas with Cara Marie also a half-sister to Group I Irish Oaks runner-up Miss Jean Brodie. Overall, Girl Daddy is one of 10 stakes horses under her second dam.
Cara Marie returned to Uncle Mo in 2020 for a full sibling to Girl Daddy.
Uncle Mo is having another banner year with his 12 graded stakes winners and 20 graded stakes horses in 2020, the most of any sire. Uncle Mo has sired nine stakes winners, led by Grade II winners Mo Forza and Yaupon, in the last month alone.