Grade I winners Uncle Mo and Cape Blanco, both newcomer stallions at Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky., will stand for $35,000 and $17,500, respectively in 2012.
Uncle Mo, last year’s champion 2-year-old male raced by Mike Repole, was retired following his unplaced finish in the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) due to his gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) enzyme being elevated.
During his career, Uncle Mo won five of eight starts, including the Champagne (gr. I), the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I), the Timely Writer Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and the Oct. 1 Kelso Handicap (gr. II) at Belmont Park prior to the Classic.
The son of Indian Charlie, who earned $1,606,000, was trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden in all his races by John Velazquez. Bred in Kentucky by Dr. D. Michael Cavey, Uncle Mo was produced from the stakes-placed Arch mare Playa Maya.
Cape Blanco was retired due to an injury he sustained in the Oct. 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (gr. IT), which he won by a nose over yielding turf at Belmont Park. The 4-year-old son of Galileo, who was poised to be favored in the Nov. 5 Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. IT), sustained a slab fracture of his knee.
Racing for owners Mrs. Fitriani Hay, Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, and Michael Tabor, Cape Blanco posted his ninth lifetime victory in 15 starts and extended his career earnings to $3,855,665 with his Turf Classic win.
Cape Blanco won the Man o’ War Stakes (gr. IT) over Belmont’s inner turf course July 9 and returned to America a month later to capture the Arlington Million (gr. IT) at Arlington Park.
He was bred in Ireland by Jack Ronan and des Vere Hunt Farm Co.
The only stallion on the Ashford roster whose fee was raised significantly for 2012 is Scat Daddy. The son of Johannesburg, who sired three stakes winners in 2011, had progeny earnings of $1,175,560. His fee jumps from $10,000 in 2011 to $17,500 next year.
The fees for all of Ashford's stallions are as follows:
Stallion…2012 fee (2011 fee)
Cape Blanco…$17,500 (New)
Dunkirk…$10,000 ($10,000)
Fusaichi Pegasus …$15,000 ($15,000)
Giant's Causeway …$85,000 ($85,000)
Grand Slam…$12,000 ($15,000)
Henrythenavigator…$25,000 ($35,000)
Lookin At Lucky …$30,000 ($35,000)
Majestic Warrior…$10,000 ($10,000)
Munnings …$10,000 ($12,500)
Scat Daddy…$17,500 ($10,000)
Tale of the Cat …$30,000 ($30,000)
Thunder Gulch…$10,000 ($10,000)
Uncle Mo …$35,000 (New)