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The recently retired Uncle Mo had undeniably one of the most exciting 2-year-old campaigns in recent memory when an undefeated winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2010. What's equally undeniable, at least in the last 15 years or so, is Kentucky breeders' obsession with precocious brilliance. So what does this mean? Uncle Mo and his $35,000 stud fee figures to have no shortage of breeding shed rendezvous come next year. Uncle Mo, by Indian Charlie out of the stakes-placed Arch mare Playa Maya, will stand at Ashford Stud in Kentucky, which is part of the international Coolmore operation. Uncle Mo was retired from racing shortly after a disappointing 10th-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Owner Mike Repole said it was discovered after the race that Uncle Mo had elevated levels of the enzyme gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). The colt suffered the same condition this spring, which eventually turned into a rare liver disease that knocked him off the Triple Crown trail. Uncle Mo's abbreviated sophomore campaign, which did include an eye-catching win against a suspect field in the Kelso Handicap, would have to be considered a major disappointment. Repole said he has been assured by veterinarians that the liver disease Uncle Mo suffered from, cholangiohepatitis, is not hereditary. Even if that's the case, some may wonder given Uncle Mo's checkered medical history and the fact he was never proven at the American classic distance of 1 1/4-miles, whether Uncle Mo is worth the $35,000 stud fee. That will be determined in a few years, of course, but current North American breeding trends tells us Uncle Mo will be given every opportunity to make it work. What other options would you have with a $35,000 budget? How about Blame, the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic winner? Or a horse like Quality Road, who broke his maiden at 2, showed brilliance winning the Grade 1 Florida Derby as a sophomore and added three more Grade 1 wins as a 4-year-old? Uncle Mo, who finished with five wins in eight starts and $1.6-million in earnings, certainly was a special horse as a 2-year-old, but breeders looking for more substance may want to look elsewhere.
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