Savaged Grade 1 winner Yaupon heading for stallion career via Breeders' Cup

Yaupon, the brave battler who survived a sustained attack by a furious Firenze Fire in an amazing stretch duel in the Forego Stakes, will stand at Spendthrift Farm for the 2022 breeding season.

Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt's son of Uncle Mo will be pointed to the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar, for which he is generally second favourite with British and Irish bookmakers, as a primary goal before retiring at year's end. A stud fee will be determined at that time.

The Heiligbrodts retired champion male sprinter Mitole to Spendthrift after his 2019 Forego and Breeders' Cup Sprint scores.

Yaupon was striking for the first time at Grade 1 level when beating Firenze Fire by a head in the Forego at Saratoga last weekend, a rather appropriate winning margin seeing the winner's head was the target of the runner-up's biting antics in what were remarkable scenes.

Firenze Fire, who had been the victim of such an assault a few years before at Philadelphia Park, still appeared full of running at the wire but Yaupon ran straight and true to gain a valuable top-fight victory.

Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey said: "We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Bill and Corinne on their newest Grade 1 winner, Yaupon.

"Obviously, the last time they won the Forego at Saratoga it was with Mitole, so we are hopeful Yaupon can close out his racing career in similar fashion.

"Aside from being extremely fast, Yaupon is one of the best-looking sons of Uncle Mo you will find anywhere. When breeders come out to the farm and see a fast Saratoga Grade 1 winner by Uncle Mo that is as beautiful as he is on the end of a lead shank, we believe we will get a lot of [mares for his first book]."

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Yaupon has won six of his eight races, including the first four starts of his career in 2020. After winning on his debut at Churchill Downs and capturing a Saratoga allowance race, the dark bay colt reeled off back-to-back graded victories by open lengths, including the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga.

Yaupon also won the Grade 3 Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico on Preakness weekend by four lengths, a performance that made him favourite in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland, though he could manage only eighth.

After finishing in the same posistion in the Dubai Golden Shaheen at the beginning of the season, Yaupon entered the second half of his four-year-old season fresh. He returned to Pimlico on July 4 to take the Lite the Fuse Stakes before last Saturday's triumph as the favourite in the storied Forego, which was his first start at seven furlongs.

Yaupon's rider Ricardo Santana jnr passes the time of day with Firenze Fire's jockey Jose Ortiz after an amazing climax to the Forego Stakes

"Yaupon is an absolutely stunning physical with an unbelievable pedigree, and he might have been one of the fastest horses we have ever seen at a two-year-old in training sale," said Bill Heiligbrodt.

"Last year, after four straight wins and two Graded stakes, we thought he had a very good chance to win the Breeders' Cup, and he ended up being the favourite in the race. But a very rough trip nullified any chance.

"After his most recent victory in the Forego, we look forward to returning to the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar. Corinne and I have been racing horses since the 1980s and have been lucky to be represented by a lot of nice horses. Yaupon is our best ever when you combine speed, pedigree and conformation."

Bred in Kentucky by Betz, Lamantia, CoCo Equine, Magers and Burns out of the Grade 1-placed Vindication mare Modification, Yaupon was a $255,000 purchase by East Hickman Bloodstock from Wavertree Stables' consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales' June 2-Year-Olds & Horses of Racing Age Sale in 2019. With six wins from eight starts, he has banked $703,264 to date.

Breeders' Cup Sprint (Nov 6)

Bet365: 5 Jackie's Warrior, 6 Yaupon, 7 Firenze Fire, Kimari, 8 Bella Sofia, 9 bar

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