Scoobie Quando Thrills on Debut in Prevue Stakes

Scoobie Quando  made quite the impression when he stepped onto Turfway Park's synthetic surface Jan. 7 to break his maiden on first asking in the $125,000 Prevue Stakes while giving his owners their first win at the level.

Campaigned by Andrew and Rania Warren, the 3-year-old son of Uncle Mo   stalked the pace in the five-horse field behind Retained  and Prove Right  in :22.59 and :46.08, and surged forward in the final furlong to win by a neck in 1:17.28 after 6 1/2 furlongs under Luan Machado. The 7-5 favorite paid $4.92 to win.

Trainer Ben Colebrook found confidence in how the colt was training leading up to the race. He said the timing and field size for the race worked out well after he did not make it off the also-eligible list for a maiden race the previous day.

"It's always nice when you're running a maiden in a short field, which is kind of why we went for this race," Colebrook said. "We were a little bit worried if he banged the lead since he hadn't run before and he looked around. The idea was to get somebody to follow and that worked out, he got to just track them.

"(Luan) put the stick away and just hand-rode him. I thought it was an impressive race for a first-timer and we're really excited moving forward. He's kind of touted himself that he was a good horse and that's the reason we were willing to take a shot in the stake since it came up a little bit lighter than we thought."

In his breezes leading up the race, Colebrook says the quality of his movement consistently stood out.

"Whether it's walking, jogging, galloping, breezing, he always covers the ground with so much ease. He's an athletic, not an overly masculine type, but very elegant in the way he moves," Colebrook said. "He's got a beautiful eye and he's always been a very intelligent horse."

Bred by China Horse Club out of the grade 2-winning European turf mare Daveron , the colt was purchased by Andrew Warren for $160,000 from the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Bluewater Sales consignment. In June 2022, Warren took the colt to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company 2-Year-Olds of Racing Age Sale where he RNA'd for $125,000.

"I'm carrying a pretty good-sized stable. I probably had 75 to 100 racehorses over the last four years, so I thought you can't carry this many horses," Warren said. "I put him in the 2-year-old sale to see what interest would come about and I was going to take a loss on it in the price he brought, so I thought let's just keep going with this and see how he turns out."

The colt had a few bone chips that required minor surgery to remove but Warren was able to get him to the track after his recovery.

"Obviously, he didn't debut at the age of 2, so it took him a little longer, but he's getting going at the age of 3...I'm excited to see how he develops," he said. "I think that race yesterday was the first time I've ever had a horse win a stakes. I've had a couple places but that's the first time we won. To have his first-ever race and win a black-type stakes, you can't get any better than that...(I'm) thrilled about it."

With the win, Scoobie Quando follows in line with the ever-growing list of Uncle Mo offspring racking up stakes victories. The son of Indian Charlie stepped into the breeding shed in 2012 at Coolmore's Ashford Stud, and he recorded 14 stakes winners in 2022 alone. Through Saturday, he has 87 stakes winners and 45 graded-stakes winners from 10 crops.

"Certainly the determination Uncle Mo brings I see in (Scoobie Quando), that's one of the big qualities. The Uncle Mo's, they want to win, and he's obviously an elite sire," Colebrook said. "I have a just-turned yearling out of one of my mares by Uncle Mo that we still own. If anything, I love Uncle Mo. He's been an amazing sire and will continue to be."

Next up for the colt will likely be another start at the Florence, Ky. oval. Colebrook said he thinks the colt would stretch out and looks forward to the opportunity.

"I think a mile, mile and an eighth would be definitely in his wheel house because he'll sit and stalk," Colebrook said. "He showed that he has a nice style, a high cruising speed, but can sit and wait for the jockey to tell him what to do.

"We're very excited and enjoying this one for now, but I'm sure there will be a race that presents itself for us going forward. We might ship him out of town, but I think looking at the Turfway schedule, there will be something for him for the rest of the meet going forward."

Scoobie Quando's impressive debut will certainly make him one to watch, if not solely for his natural ability, but also for his unique name that makes him hard to miss.

"You know how some people like to sing in the shower? My dad is one of those types that likes to do that, and he used to make up some nonsensical words," Warren said. "That's his two words he used to be singing in the shower a lot. It just tickled me somehow."