BY LAURIE ROSS
Opportunities to access elite sire power in Florida are rare, and Gulfport (Uncle Mo – Fame and Fortune, by Unbridled’s Song) is among the most compelling in recent years.
The only son of Uncle Mo standing in the state for 2026, Gulfport brings with him a race record defined by brilliance, consistency and class, paired with a pedigree built to transmit speed with substance.
A dominant juvenile who flirted with track records at Churchill Downs and held his own against the nation’s best in Grade 1 company, he enters stud backed by a deep, accomplished female family and the influence of two modern breed-shaping forces in Uncle Mo and Unbridled’s Song.
For breeders seeking early speed without sacrificing athletic scope or long-term soundness, Gulfport, standing at Pleasant Acres Stallions, offers a profile that merits serious consideration.
AT THE RACES
Bred in Kentucky by Diamond Creek Farm, Gulfport commanded $275,000 from Pick View at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale.
The colt made an immediate impact for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, debuting at Churchill Downs with a spectacular seven-length maiden victory, completing five furlongs in :56.85 under a hand ride and just a tick off the 2016 track record of :56.41.
In his next start, he demolished his competition by 12¼-lengths as the 1-5 favorite in the $173,000 Bashford Manor (Listed) at Churchill Downs, recording the widest margin in the history of the six-furlong event. His time of 1:09.25 was the second-fastest clocking in the race’s history at the time, earning a 91 Beyer Speed Figure, the co-highest number by a 2-year-old that year.
Gulfport continued his impressive campaign with seconds in both the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and Grade 1 Hopeful before capping his juvenile season with a third in the Grade 1 Champagne.
His consistency carried forward as a 4-year-old, where he hit the board in all four starts, including a victory in the $300,000 Bet on Sunshine at Churchill and finishing second in the $150,000 Ring The Bell at Oaklawn. He added a third-place finish in the Listed King Cotton at Oaklawn to his accomplished resume and completed his career with 11 starts and $680,250 in earnings.
PEDIGREE
Christine Jones, the Stallion Manager of Pleasant Acres Stallions, describes Gulfport as “a carbon copy of Uncle Mo [with] a beautiful shoulder, a lovely hip and he is a very stunning individual, a real classy guy to be around.”
Gulfport is bred on the light but promising cross of Uncle Mo—Unbridled’s Song, a pairing that, from 41 starters, has generated 26 winners and four stakes winners, approximately seven percent of the total winners.
He is bred top and bottom for elite athleticism, scope and class, yet both sides of his pedigree deliver speed with enough stamina to stretch that speed to middle and classic distances. His pedigree is anchored by two modern super-influencers, Uncle Mo and Unbridled’s Song, each of whom reliably transmits brilliance, physical quality, and forward talent.
Uncle Mo was one of the most dependable stallions during his lifetime. He led the first through sixth leading-sire lists and was among the top 10 leading sires in most years until his untimely death in 2024. His legacy lives on through his sons and daughters.
Uncle Mo’s offspring showed speed across the spectrum, with brilliant offspring like Golden Pal, who captured the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) and Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) in consecutive years, as well as Classic distance winners at the highest level, Nyquist, Mo Donegal and Arabian Knight.
Gulfport boasts an exceptional distaff line filled with black type earners. He is the third foal out of Fame and Fortune, who previously produced Grade 2-placed Favor (Pioneerof the Nile), who, like her brother, made 11 starts but earned $187,700.
Gulfport’s second dam, Stop Traffic (by Cure the Blues), was a solid and classy veteran of 35 starts as a sprinter-miler with earnings of $864,518. Her many stakes victories include the Ballerina and Santa Monica Handicaps, both seven-furlong Grade 1 events.
She passed her class and brilliance to her offspring, including Fame and Fortune’s full brother, Cross Traffic, winner of the 2013 Whitney (G1) and, as of 2025, leading sire in Virginia.
Other than Stop Traffic, Gulfport’s third dam, stakes-placed Save My Soul (by I’ma Hell Raiser), bore a minor stakes winner, but her daughters, especially Elusive Gold (by Strike The Gold), were excellent producers.
Elusive Gold’s son, multiple grade stakes-winner, Gouldings Green (Charismatic), set a one-mile track record at Gulfstream Park in 1:37.17 in 2005, and is the second dam of Grade 1 hero Americanrevolution (Constitution), who earned 2021 New York-bred Horse of the Year honors.
As a broodmare sire, Unbridled’s Song was a mainstay on the top ten broodmare sire list for seven consecutive years. His daughters bore brilliant sprinters, such as two-time champion Unique Bella, accomplished milers like 2016 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1)-hero Tourist, and routers like Moira, the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) heroine who earned Eclipse and Sovereign Award for Turf Female, 3-Year-Old Filly and was voted Canada’s 2022 Horse of the Year.
STUD CAREER
As a stallion, Gulfport should sire foals with scope and athleticism, typical of both Uncle Mo and Unbridled’s Song lines.
Gulfport’s pedigree is a polished blend of modern brilliance, supported by enough classic foundation to give his speed substance. This makes him particularly exciting as a source of precocious, classy juveniles who can carry their speed a bit farther than the average sprint-type sire.
He will likely pass early precocity and brilliance to his offspring, who may lean toward sprinter–miler types. However, the right mares (Deputy Minister, A.P. Indy, Empire Maker, or stamina-oriented turf families) could unlock more Classic and route capacity.
Gulfport stands his first season at Pleasant Acres Stallions in 2026 for a $7,500 fee, stands and nurses.
Return to the December 30 issue of Wire to Wire
