Road to the Kentucky Derby – Alex’s Pedigree Paddock
Alex Henry | March 9th 2024
Goal: Highlight interesting pedigrees of 2024 Kentucky Derby contenders who are also my best bets of the race.
Tampa Bay Derby | Tampa Bay Downs
Grand Mo the First (February 2021)
Owner: Granpollo Stables LLC | Breeder: (Ky) John D Gunther
Trainer: Victor Barboza, Jr
Uncle Mo o/o Lilies So Fair by Giant’s Causeway
Inbreeding: Danzig 5Sx4D, Northern Dancer 5Sx5Dx5D, Roberto 5Sx5D
True Nicks: B+
Fasig Tipton Keenland October Sale ’22: $135,000
In a Grade 3 Kentucky Derby prep race where only three of ten contenders have won more than one race, Grand Mo the First is already ahead of most of his rivals today. While those two wins were earned sprinting on Gulfstream Park’s synthetic surface, his pedigree suggests he deserves this chance to route on dirt. Let’s take a look at this well-bred son of Uncle Mo directly related to Florida Derby winner Materiality and Gazelle stakes winner My Miss Sophia.
If his name didn’t give it away immediately, Grand Mo the First is sired by Uncle Mo, sire of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. Grand Mo the First shares plenty of common ancestry with Nyquist despite not sharing the same dam or broodmare sire. Nyquist is out of a Forestry mare, himself by Storm Cat. While Grand Mo the First’s dam is by Giant’s Causeway, the 7-time G1 winner is also sired by Storm Cat. G1 Goldmine rates Grand Mo the First and Nyquist with a common similarity index of 15, this familial connection should lend well to performing over classic dirt conditions. Another very intriguing family member is turf marathon specialist Family Way (Uncle Mo o/o Susie’s Baby by Giant’s Causeway). Also out of a Giant’s Causeway mare, Family Way is the best performing runner from this cross with Uncle Mo. Winning the G3 Orchid stakes (12 furlongs, turf) and listed Kentucky Downs Ladies Marathon (10.5 furlongs, turf), she did her best running closing from the rear much like her half-brother. Interestingly, Grand Mo the First is also closely related via Storm Cat to G1 winning Adare Manor (at 8.5 furlongs, dirt) and G3 winning Ultra Brat (at 8 and 8.5 furlongs, turf); via Uncle Mo’s grandsire Arch he’s also closely related to G3 winning Tax (at 8 and 8.5 furlongs, dirt).
Lilies So Fair may not be credited with an elusive black-type winner just yet, but she has produced winning horses throughout her broodmare career. Palladium (Graydar) was 2nd in the Gottstein Futurity at Emerald Downs with 6 wins to his credit. Additionally, My Good Man (Curlin) won 3 times, all over dirt route distances. Lilies So Fair’s dam, Wildwood Flower, is a lyrical product of John D. Gunther’s prolific Thoroughbred breeding program. As alluded to earlier, Wildwood Flower (Langfuhr) is the dam of 2015 Kentucky Derby 6th favorite and G1 Florida Derby winner Materiality. While few would argue that anyone was beating American Pharoah that day, Materiality had a poor start as an excuse but still showed a nice burst of speed to pass tiring rivals in the stretch to advance from 13th to 6thbefore the wire. Materiality sadly lost a lengthy battle with laminitis in 2016, unfortunately unable to further Wildwood Flower’s dam-line influence as a stallion. Wildwood Flower’s G2 Gazelle stakes-winning daughter My Miss Sophia (Unbridled Song) is another impressive individual. To date, she’s more than replicated herself as a broodmare by foaling G1 winning turf miler Annapolis who will thankfully carry this impressive family into future generation as a young sire.
With so much success on multiple surfaces, it’s not difficult to determine why trainer Victor Barboza Jr. tried his luck on synthetic before subsequent tries on turf and dirt. Ultimately, I believe Grand Mo the First can sit well off what projects to be a fast pace with several speed horses entered. Impressive for a young horse, he demonstrated his ability to sit off the pace in hisGulfstream Park synthetic sprint wins, the best of which earned a 79 Beyer speed figure. He shipped west to Santa Anita for the G3 1 mile Zuma Beach stakes on turf, not embarrassing himself by finishing 3rd by 3 ½ lengths to El Camino Real Derby winner Endlessly. In the same race, eventual Cal Cup Derby winner Mici’s Express finished a well-beaten 5th behind Grand Mo the First. In his first dirt attempt, he finished 3rd to Frankie’s Empire and Le Dom Bro, 3rd and 2nd place finishers in the G2 Fountain of Youth last weekend, respectively. If Grand Mo the First can relax and sit towards the rear of a hopefully hot pace, his closing kick could best tiring speed that didn’t expect anyone else still up for the challenge in deep stretch.
