Royal Mo to Stand at South Africa's Klawervlei Stud
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Royal Mo will enter stud at Klawervlei Stud, where he'll become the first son of U.S. champion Uncle Mo to stand in South Africa.
A 4-year-old out of the Saint Ballado mare Royal Irish Lass, Royal Mo compiled a 2-2-1 record out of six starts for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs. His biggest victory came in the 2017 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3), where he defeated eventual Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) winner Irap by 3 1/2 lengths. Royal Mo went on to finish third in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), a length behind multiple grade 1 winner Gormley and a half-length behind subsequent Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Battle of Midway .
Royal Mo's last timed workout was six days before the 2017 Preakness Stakes (G1), when he fractured his right-front sesamoid at Pimlico Race Course. Quick thinking by Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, who was in the irons, to jump off and get the leg elevated is credited with saving the colt's life. The surgical team at University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center repaired the leg and allowed Royal Mo a stallion career.
Bred in Kentucky by Brandywine Farm, Royal Mo is half brother to black-type winner Tara From the Cape (Leroidesanimaux). The mare has a 2-year-old by Malibu Moon named New Mexico and yearling filly by Honor Code .
Royal Mo's stud fee has yet to be announced.