Derby pedigrees: Mo Donegal's style could take him the distance

Benefiting from a rail trip, Mo Donegal wore down pacesetter Early Voting to win the Grade 1 Wood Memorial by a neck and earn a spot in the 2022 Kentucky Derby starting gate. Mo Donegal traveled 1 1/8 miles in 1:53.61 and completed his final furlong in a swift 12.33 seconds. He earned 100 Derby qualifying points for the victory and has 112 total.

In February, Mo Donegal closed for third place in the Holy Bull (G3) after a slow break. Last year, the Todd Pletcher trainee stamped himself as one to watch after prevailing over Zandon by a nose in the Remsen (G2) after a torrid stretch battle. Mo Donegal will face the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner again in the Kentucky Derby.

Mo Donegal was bred by Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables. Donegal Racing purchased the son of Uncle Mo for $250,000 from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The bay colt has won three of five starts and has two third-place finishes, with earnings of $621,800.

Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo - Callingmissbrown, by Pulpit) is bred on the proven Uncle Mo/Seattle Slew cross, which includes Grade 1 winners Yaupon, Mo Town and Grade 2 winners Modernist and Mopotism. The small but promising Uncle Mo/Pulpit cross has yielded six winners from as many starters and one stakes winner. In addition, Uncle Mo has sired two Wood Memorial winners; the first was Outwork (2016).

2010 champion 2-year-old colt Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie - Playa Maya, by Arch) raced only eight times in his career. But the son of Indian Charlie won all three starts as a youngster, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

He started his 3-year-old campaign in the Timely Writer Stakes, a listed race written specifically for him. Then, with his Kentucky Derby dreams dashed after fading to third in the Wood Memorial, Todd Pletcher pointed the colt to a sprinter/miler campaign.

Uncle Mo missed the victory in the King's Bishop by a nose but returned to capture the Kelso (G2) over three rivals. Then Uncle Mo finished 10th in the Breeders' Cup Classic in his final start after pressing the pace. He retired to stud in 2012 after compiling an 8: 5-1-1 record and earning $1,606,000.

Uncle Mo has become an accomplished sire in just a few short years. His first crop included champion 2-year-old colt and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. Ensuing crops produced multiple Grade 1 winner Bast, who was third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, and the speedy Golden Pal, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint the following year.

Mo Donegal is the second foal and first black-type earner out of the lightly raced allowance class mare Callingmissbrown (Pulpit - Island Sand, by Tabasco Cat). His older half-sister is an optional claiming class competitor capable at 1 1/16 miles. Their 2-year-old half-sister Prank (Into Mischief) was a $500,000 Keeneland Yearling.

Mo Donegal's second dam, Island Sand, is the most accomplished competitor in the family. She's a multiple graded stakes earner of $1,182,777, including victories in the one-mile Acorn (G1), 1 1/4 mile Delaware Handicap (G2), and 1 1/16 mile Busanda Stakes. In addition, Island Sand was a runner-up in the 2004 Kentucky Oaks behind Ashado and was third in the Mother Goose (G1) and Azeri Stakes (G3).

Island Sand produced two stakes winners from the A.P. Indy sire line; the precocious Maya Malibu (Malibu Moon), who placed in a pair of Grade 1s, the Spinaway and Frizette, and Martini Brother (A.P. Indy), a multiple Grade 1 steeplechaser. She also bore a stakes-placed Unbridled's Song colt, Midnight Poppa.

Of interest, Mo Donegal is a distant relative of Preakness winner Exaggerator. Mo Donegal's fifth dam Bon Debarras is Exaggerator's fourth dam.

Pulpit's daughters are excellent producers, although dirt stakes winners have been distance challenged beyond 1 1/8 miles, while their turf counterparts will go farther.

Mo Donegal has classic winners throughout his bottom side. His second damsire Tabasco Cat captured the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, while his third dam Forty Niner was second to Winning Colors in the Kentucky Derby. Additionally, Pulpit's sire is Belmont hero A.P. Indy, who claims Triple Crown heroes Seattle Slew and Secretariat as his sire and damsire.

Kentucky Derby Contender or Pretender?

The Wood Memorial has a long and prestigious history, but like the gilded age of horse racing, it has lost some luster. Between 1930 to 2000, 11 winners captured the Kentucky Derby, and four won the Triple Crown. One of the race's most brutal beats was when Secretariat finished third in the Wood Memorial before his historic Triple Crown sweep.

The last Wood Memorial hero to win the Kentucky Derby was Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. Fast forward to more recent times. Since 2012, nine Wood Memorial winners have competed in the Triple Crown events. The best finish was Tacitus, who was third in 2020. Wicked Strong (2015) and Frosted (2016) finished fourth.

Most Wood Memorial winners skip the Preakness; the last one to run was Congaree (2001), who was third in the Derby and Preakness.

But if you see a Wood winner in the Belmont Stakes, take note. Frosted, Irish War Cry (2018), and Bourbonic (2021) finished second, while Wicked Strong and Vino Rosso (2019) were fourth.

Mo Donegal has solid middle-distance breeding, although his closing running style could take him farther. Physically, he's a well-balanced athlete who can cut corners, race between horses or go wide around the turn. He has good leg extension, a smooth gait with no wasted motion, and he switches leads correctly. In addition, he is battle-tested and doesn't back off from a fight.

The knock against Mo Donegal is that he breaks slowly; this affected his placing in his debut and the Holy Bull Stakes. It also could affect his trip in the Kentucky Derby.