Golden Pal Retiring to Ashford Stud After Breeders' Cup

Grade 1 winner Golden Pal   will retire to stud next year at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud following his final start in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) Nov. 5 at Keeneland, where he could notch his third straight Breeders' Cup World Championships victory.

Since breaking his maiden at 2 in the 2020 Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, the 4-year-old son of Ashford's Uncle Mo   is undefeated in the United States and has won seven graded stakes over five and 5 1/2 furlongs, including last year's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar, which he captured in gate-to-wire fashion by 1 1/4 lengths. Golden Pal earned his first trip to the Breeders' Cup winner's circle at 2 when he won the Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) at Keeneland.

"This is the fastest of the fast," said trainer Wesley Ward after the colt's tour-de-force April 9 in the Shakertown Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland. The colt followed that victory with a win in the Troy Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga and the Oct. 8 Woodford Stakes Presented by FanDuel (G2T) at Keeneland.

Ward has long maintained that Golden Pal is the best he has ever trained.

Both Uncle Mo and Golden's Pal's broodmare sire Midshipman   won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), while his grade 3-winning dam Lady Shipman  won 13 times and earned more than $900,000 and finished a close second against males in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland. Lady Shipman set a course record of 1:00.46 in the Smart N Fancy Stakes at Saratoga going 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass. Lady Shipman is out of the winning Mutakddim  mare Sumthingtotalkabt, who is out of the multiple stakes winner and stakes producer Nannetta  (Falstaff).

"We've followed Golden Pal's career closely and he's a very welcome addition to our roster," said Ashford's Dermot Ryan. "He has speed to burn and like many of those by Uncle Mo, he's a very good-looking horse. I don't think any horse has come close to beating him here in the U.S. since he broke his maiden in the Skidmore Stakes and Uncle Mo has made a very good start as a sire of sires so it's all good news."

Uncle Mo was the leader of his sire class for his first- through third-crop years. He set a progeny earnings record during his freshman year in 2015 and led the standings that year by number of black-type winners (seven) and number of graded stakes winners (three). His son Nyquist became the second horse to sweep the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby (G1) and now stands at Darley Stallions. Uncle Mo currently ranks fifth on the leading sires list by progeny earnings and is the co-third-leading sire by number graded/group stakes winners with seven.