Grade 2-winning Laoban, off to a hot start as a freshman sire while standing at Sequel Stallions New York, is relocating to Kenny Troutt's WinStar Farm near Versailles, Ky., for the 2021 breeding season.
A limited number of seasons will be offered at $25,000 (stands and nurses) until the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The fee is subject to change pending results as Laoban has contenders in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1), and the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T).
With a first crop of 67 named 2-year-olds, Laoban (Uncle Mo —Chattertown, by Speightstown ) has five winners and three black-type stakes horses that have earned $615,400, good for fifth on the national first-crop sires list.
His New York-bred Simply Ravishing was an authoritative 6 1/4-length winner of Keeneland's Oct. 2 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) and is on target to be one of the favorites for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies for Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing, and Nehoc Stables. The filly, out of the More Than Ready mare Four Wishes, was bred by Meg Levy and was a $50,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale purchase. She's 3-for-3 with a maiden win on turf and an additional stakes score in the P. G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.
The day after the Alcibiades, Southern Equine Stable's homebred Keepmeinmind (out of the Victory Gallop mare Inclination), ran second in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. The bay colt looks to be on target for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, which will be held at Keeneland Nov. 6.
Southern Equine's Ava's Grace ran third in the 6 1/2-furlong Adirondack Stakes (G2) Aug. 12 at Saratoga. Laoban is also represented by two-time winner Dreamer's Disease, and maiden special weight winner Mo Promising Vows.
"My phone lit up before the filly crossed the wire at Keeneland," said Becky Thomas of Sequel Stallions. "In the following days we were overwhelmed with calls from all of the very top stallion farms in Kentucky.
"Laoban is stamping his foals and proving to be a cookie-cutter of the Uncle Mo style of stretch and athleticism. Since receiving the foals from New York, they certainly looked the part, but once we started training them at Winding Oaks, I knew he was going to be something special. Talking with other horsemen in Ocala who were training his first crop of 2-year-olds and seeing them perform consistently, he was the buzz horse all season. Then, for him to become the first New York stallion to sire a grade 1 winner in his first crop is absolutely incredible. It is truly a humbling experience to be a part of what is becoming such an important young stallion.
"WinStar is a great fit for him and he is sure to get a wide variety of nice mares coming from all their partnerships and support. We couldn't be more excited about his future."
"I have tremendous respect for Becky and her Sequel operation," said Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager. "We are excited to partner with her and the original shareholders and we are appreciative of the efforts of Siena, Taylor Made, and Breeze Easy in bringing Laoban to Kentucky. Laoban is a beautiful son of Uncle Mo who might have three horses in the Breeders' Cup and we believe Uncle Mo is an important sire line for the next generation. Having Laoban join third-leading freshman sire Outwork on our roster gives us two of his exciting three sons with 2-year-olds this year."
"It's exciting for WinStar to have the opportunity to bring him to Kentucky," said Liam O'Rourke, WinStar's director of stallion sales. "There was a great deal of buzz about him starting in the late winter and early spring. We followed him on through the summer and watching some of his recent accomplishments. Simply Ravishing's run was a head-turning experience. Along with Keepmeinmind's follow the next day it was pretty evident that Laoban is a serious young stallion.
"In talking to Becky we knew we were competing with other farms. He's a pretty obvious horse with a grade 1 winner in his first crop. There is a lot of class about him."
Bred in Kentucky by Respite Farm, Laoban was a $260,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale grad. Racing for McCormick Racing and Southern Equine Stable, he broke his maiden in the nine-furlong Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), defeating classic winner Creator and multiple graded winners Mohaymen and Destin, after making five starts in graded stakes company.
Laoban was runner-up in the Gotham Stakes (G3) and placed in the Sham Stakes (G3). He retired with a 1-2-1 record from nine starts with $526,250 in earnings.
