Kentucky Derby 2016: Outwork a King of Racing Heirs
OUTWORK - Sire - Uncle Mo, Dam - Nonna Mia, by Empire Maker. Outwork is a Kentucky colt, racing in the familiar blue and orange silks of Repole Stable. They campaigned Outwork’s sire and dam. Both were conditioned by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez.
The 2010 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Uncle Mo Sired by Indian Charlie and Dam Playa Maya, by Arch, was considered by many to be the most talented colt of his generation. Besides locking up the Two Year Old Championship with a decisive victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Uncle Mo gave an impressive display of speed and determination while winning the Champagne Stakes. His final time of 1:34.51 was a fifth off of the stakes record, and he tied Seattle Slew for the second fastest running of the Champagne.
Uncle Mo’s three-year-old season was marred by illness. After suffering his first defeat in the Wood Memorial and bypassing the 2011 Kentucky Derby, it was discovered that the colt suffered from a rare liver disease.
Uncle Mo recovered, obviously, and continued his racing career. He returned in the King’s Bishop Stakes (G-1), an ambitious undertaking, coming back off of a layoff and illness. In a display of game determination, which he’s passing to his offspring, Uncle Mo missed the victory by a scant nose
Uncle Mo rebounded in his next start, the Kelso Handicap (G-2), a mile dirt race in which he beat three rivals. The three year old made his final career start in the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic, where he finished tenth.
The son of Indian Charlie was last year’s Freshman sire. Uncle Mo has one Champion, five graded stakes winners, 12 listed/restricted stakes winners and nine are stakes placed – from only 98 foals.Outwork has compiled $701,800 in earnings and 120 Derby qualifying points with a 4-3-1-0 race record.
Uncle Mo’s sire Indian Charlie and second tail sire In Excess passed along brilliant, fragile speed to their offspring. Indian Charlie’s offspring were competitive to 1 1/8 miles, although he did get two winners at 1 ¼ miles. The distance question is still out on Uncle Mo. With only one crop on the track, he’s already proving to be a better sire than Indian Charlie and In Excess. I expect that like his sire, Uncle Mo’s babies will be best up to 1 1/8 miles, but when bred to a mare with stamina influences, he may get the occasional winner at 1 ¼ miles.
Besides Outwork and Nyquist, Uncle Mo’s sons, Mo Tom and Laoban and have 32 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and another son, Uncle Lino has 29. Uncle Mo is represented by two Kentucky Oaks fillies in the top 20 on the leaderboard; Mo d' Amour with 70 points and Gomo with 20 points.
DAM
Outwork’s Dam side is enjoying a resurgence of class due to careful cultivation of stakes winning mares. His sixth dam Now What was a Champion Two Year Old Filly and bore two-time Champion, Next Move. Hall of Fame inductee Miscue and G1 winner and sire Slew City Slew are descended from this side of Outworks pedigree.
Outwork’s dam Nonna Mia (Empire Maker - Holy Bubbette, by Holy Bull) wasn’t as precocious as her offspring on the racetrack. After winning her second attempt in September, the filly placed third in the Frizette (G1) and Tempted Stakes (G3). Nona Mia raced three times as a three year old, all in dirt sprints, despite having the pedigree to run two turns. She won an allowance and placed in the Loudonville Stakes at Saratoga. Nona Mia retired with a 7-2-1-2 ($127,150) record.
Outwork is the second foal produced by Nonna Mia. His half brother Nonna's Boy (Distorted Humor) was also precocious, winning his debut as a June two year old. Nonna’s boy won the 1 1/16 mile Lamplighter Stakes over the Monmouth turf and placed in two listed stakes. The pair have an unnamed two year old half sister by Stay Thirsty and an unnamed yearling half brother by Malibu Moon.
Nona Mia is a half sister to Holy Bull Stakes hero Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile) and to Holden Bullets (Ghostzapper), who was third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint.
Outwork’s second dam Holy Bubbette (Holy Bull) is a multiple stakes winning sprinter. She’s a half sister to G-2 winner Sum Gal (Summing) and to Ms Louisett (Siphon) who placed in the Oak Leaf (G1), and bore a stakes placed filly.
DAMSIRE
Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker (Unbridled - Tussaud, by El Gran Señor) stood at stud in the U.S. for eight years before being sold to Japan. During that time, he became known as a “filly sire,” his daughters were more accomplished than his sons. Empire Maker sired the champion mare Royal Delta, plus eight other Grade 1 winning mares. His Grade 1 winning sons include Pioneerof the Nile, Bodemeister, and the geldings Action Plan and Chosen Empire. Empire was brought back to the U.S. and renewed his stud career this year.
As a broodmare sire, Empire Maker is represented by 175 runners and eleven stakes winners. Outwork is Empire Maker’s first Grade 1 winner as a broodmare sire. The turf router Takeover Target, victor of the Nat. Museum Racing Hall of Fame Handicap (G2) and Hill Prince Stakes (G3) is Empire Maker’s only other US graded stakes winner.
Empire Maker is noted for passing stamina to his offspring. His daughters will likely pass this affinity to their foals.
Outwork’s second damsire Holy Bull earned honors as Champion Three Year Old and Horse of the Year after a stellar campaign that included victories in the Florida Derby, Met Mile, Haskell Invitational, Travers and Woodward Stakes.
Currently, of the offspring of Holy Bull’s daughters have won a stakes beyond 1 1/8 miles on any surface. As a sire, Holy Bull has one stakes winner a 1 ¼ miles, the Kentucky Derby long-shot winner Giacomo.
Outlook
Outwork’s pedigree for getting classic distances is borderline to good. There’s class in his female family and having Empire Maker as a damsire doesn’t hurt, but the distance capabilities of his sire’s offspring remains to be answered.
The colt’s determination had a lot to say in the outcome of the Wood Memorial. Outwork was shortening stride and like most of the rest, was floundering in the mud. Outwork has no two year old foundation to speak of. He’s jumped from a six furlong optional claimer in February to 1 1/8 miles in just three months.
The Wood Memorial has faded as a legitimate measure of class for Kentucky Derby contestants over the last dozen years. Since 2004, none of the top three finishers in the Wood Memorial have finished in the top three in the Kentucky Derby. Yet, the Wood Memorial hasn’t lost all significance as a Derby prep. From 2013 – 2015 Wood Memorial participants have completed the Derby Superfecta.
He was out of action until winning an optional claimer at Tampa Bay Downs in February. Outwork has compiled $701,800 in earnings and 120 Derby qualifying points with a 4-3-1-0 race record.
