Jude

Making his belated debut after earning a final bid of $2,000,000 at Keeneland September as a yearling in 2023, Jude (Uncle Mo) proved waiting for as he put in a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'-worthy performance at Santa Anita for Bob Baffert and Zedan Racing Stables Friday.

Drawn outside his favored stablemate in second time starter Into Midnight (Into Mischief), Jude earned second billing of the three Bob Baffert-trained starters, going off at 3-1 just off the rail while Mutaz (Nyquist), also owned by Zedan, had improvement to find at odds of 13-1 on the outside.

Slow and away awkwardly with nearly the entire field sprinting by, Jude quickly found himself last under Juan Hernandez who gave the colt a quick left-handed reminder to pick it up through the opening furlong. Up front, Simple Song (Munnings) was content to lead inside a three-wide attack for Mark Glatt with Into Midnight, who was also away slowly, up to press things from third.

His reminder well taken, Jude began to roll down the inside, passing a pair of trailers into the far turn but still with plenty of room to make up to even reach the front quartet who whipped through the opening half in :44.59. Simple Song hit the quarter pole in front and looked to have the race wrapped up but Jude was still coming, cutting the corner into the stretch and hitting his best stride with a furlong to run as he tipped outside to come after the leader. Simple Song needed the wire but didn't get it in time as Jude swept past inside the sixteenth pole to win under a hand ride.

Sons of Helena Bay (GB) have already earned plenty of success for Bob Baffert with Jude's half-brother Collected (City Zip) winning the GI TVG Pacific Classic en route to earnings nearly eclipsing the $3,000,000 mark. The mare has a perfect strike record with all six of her foals to race becoming winners. Jude's half-sister Helena's Triomphe (Arch), though unraced herself, also went on to produce a Canadian stakes winner in Artilena (Artie Schiller).

The late Uncle Mo, a 'Rising Star' himself back in 2010, is represented here by his 22nd 'TDN Rising Star' and his third of 2025, with Jude joining Tito Mo Cen (Ire) and Rapture. As a broodmare sire, Johannesburg's daughters are responsible for the likes of champions Straight No Chaser (Speightster) and Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil).

Helena Bay's 2-year-old Gun Runner colt brought $700,000 from M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm at Keeneland last year and she reported a full-brother to Jude this season before visiting Street Sense for 2026.

6th-Santa Anita, $61,000, Msw, 10-10, 3, 4,/5yo, 6f, 1:10.45, ft, 2 1/2 lengths.
JUDE, c, 3, Uncle Mo
            1st Dam: Helena Bay {GB}, by Johannesburg
            2nd Dam: Josette (Ire), by Danehill
            3rd Dam: Loure, by Lyphard
Sales History: $2,000,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Runnymede Farm LLC, Peter J Callahan & Three Chimneys Farm (KY); T-Bob Baffert. *1/2 to Collected (City Zip), GISW, $2,975,500.