Mo Diddley, a son of Uncle Mo from the family of champion Bear Now, was bought by Everett Dobson's Cheyenne Stables for $450,000 to become the new sale-topper at the midpoint of the Aug. 14 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale.
Consigned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, as agent, the colt is out of Miss Bodine, a stakes-placed daughter of Vindication. Second dam Guilded Times, a Crafty Prospector mare who earned more than $85,000, is the dam of Del Mar Futurity (gr. II) winner Icecoldbeeratreds and multiple stakes winner Controlled. Controlled is the dam of 2008 Canadian champion older female Bear Now, who was victorious in seven of 12 starts.
Mo Diddley was bred by Andy Beadnell.
“I just liked his presence,” Dobson said. “Obviously Uncle Mo is maybe the most exciting new sire we've had in this sport in many, many years, and it's a New York-bred and I like that. I race up here a lot. I've been a New York (sale) buyer for many, many years.”
Dobson, who has 15 horses in training, said the price was about what he expected to pay. He said the colt will be sent to Randy Bradshaw in Florida to be prepped for racing.
Consignor Joe McMahon, who along with breeder Andy Beadnell previously had a sale-topping $375,000 yearling, said he believed that the postponement of the sale due to a storm the previous day did not negatively impact prices.
“I think we had more time, (and) we got more scopes on our horses this morning so I think it mattered not at all,” McMahon said.
“We knew he was going to sell well,” said Beadnell, who was accompanied by his wife, Susan. “We didn't think he'd go quite that high. Joe reserved him higher than what I was kind of happy with, but it worked. He went way past his reserve. But Joe knows his horses.”
Beadnell, who owns 10 mares, said he prefers to breed to stallions that stand in Kentucky or Florida.