Royal Mo is sire of the biggest stakes earner in South Africa this season, the Justin Snaith-trained Royal Aussie.
The latter’s stakes earnings of R5,228,800 are over R3 million more than the next highest earner.
That was courtesy of his win in the inaugural running of the WSB R7.5 million Gold Rush over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on WSB Met day.
The earnings in restricted races are not official, but it should be remembered the connections forewent campaigns in other features to aim him at that lucrative race.
In the Gold Rush he beat the like of Dave The King (by half-a-length), who ran a four length third to Charles Dickens in the Grade 3 Cape Classic, See It Again (by 3,20 lengths), who subsequently beat Charles Dickens to win the Grade 1 Splashout Cape Derby and is now the highest rated three-year-old in the country, and Lord William (by 6,60 lengths), who has subsequently won the WSB Listed Sledgehammer Stakes in KZN.
Royal Aussie is entered in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and his relaxed style of racing and fine turn of foot should see him suited to the tight Hollywoobets Greyville course. He has the ability to find extra in a tight finish too, as he proved in the Gold Rush.
Royal Mo stands at Klawervlei Stud and John Koster said, “The appeal of getting him was he is by Uncle Mo, who is one of the most celebrated sires in the USA. Uncle Mo had four sons in his first crop who went to stud and three of them ended up in the top five of the two-year-old sires log at that time. So sons of Uncle Mo were extremely popular and the only reason we could afford to get Royal Mo was because he had been injured just before the Preakness. He was a top three-year-old in the USA at the time. It was fortuitous. Uncle Mo gets them to run on the turf and the dirt, which was another appealing factor.”
Stonehill Stud’s first Royal Mo going through the ring today will be Lot 365, an unnamed filly who is out of the seven time-winning Listed East Cape Paddock Stakes winner Maverick Girl, who is by Rebel King. Maverick Girl is from the family of a number of Grade 1 winners like Bold Persian, Boland Pride, Proud Pilgrim and Noble Warrior.
The last Royal Mo on the Sale will be Lot 387, an unnamed colt out of the the twice-winner Nala, who is by Trippi out of the Grade 1-winning Equus Award-winning mare Bold Ellinore. Furthermore, Nala is a full-sister to Listed winner Ha Lucy, who is the dam of the 92-rated three time-winning speedster Lucy English.
