KLAWERVLEI in association with STONEHILL STUD FARM showed off their exciting new stallion Royal Mo to some of the country’s top breeders at Durbanville on Wednesday.
Despite inclement weather forcing the day’s racing to be abandoned, a large crowd of Cape breeders turned out en mass to view Royal Mo.
A big, but well balanced and athletic horse, Royal Mo, who barely turned a hair while parading on Wednesday, is a typical American type with plenty of quality about him.
Royal Mo, who won or placed in five of his six starts, was among the leaders of his generation as a three-year-old and his wins included a dominant three and a half length win, over Blue Grass Stakes winner Irap, in the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita, a race won previously by current top US sire Pioneerof The Nile.
He also ran third, beaten a length by multiple G1 winner Gormley and subsequent G1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile hero Battle Of Midway, in the 2017 G1 Santa Anita Derby (a race won this year by subsequent Triple Crown winner Justify).
A horse whose pedigree is free of the ubiquitous Mr Prospector, Royal Mo is the only son of champion and outstanding stallion Uncle Mo currently standing at stud in South Africa. Standing at Ashford Stud for $125 000, Uncle Mo produced more than 20 stakes winners from his first crop, with his notable first crop winners including Breeders’ Cup winning champion and Kentucky Derby victor Nyquist. Other G1 winners sired by the former Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner include unbeaten filly Dream Tree, Hollywood Derby victor Mo Town and G1 winning young sire Outwork.
Royal Mo, who is a half-brother to the stakes winning Tara From The Cape, is out of Royal Irish Lass, a daughter of US champion sire Saint Ballado (a full-brother to the champion dam of Rakeen) and the remarkably durable racemare Irish Linnet. The latter, who earned over $1 million in prize money, won 19 races including the Yaddo Stakes five times in a row and she was sired by Seattle Song, the broodmare sire of outstanding stallion Tiznow.
Shares are still available in Royal Mo, who will stand his first season in 2018 for a fee of R30 000 and is expected to be very popular!
Photos: Wayne Marks.
