Grand Mo the First, a competitor in the 2024 Kentucky Derby, is set to make his first start in Venezuela on Sunday, October 4, in the Group 1 Clásico Jockey Club de Venezuela at La Rinconada Hippodrome, according to South American outlet Lider Deportes. The 5-year-old colt, sired by Uncle Mo, has been partly purchased by the Venezuelan Stud Don Rafael V, strengthening his existing connection to Venezuela through his original owner, Grandpollo Stable, managed by Venezuelan native David Geofroy. Since arriving earlier this month, Grand Mo the First has been training under Gabriel Márquez.
Although the immediate goal is the 1,800-meter (approximately 1 1/8 miles) Clásico Jockey Club de Venezuela, Lider Deportes notes that the colt was brought to Venezuela with a long-term plan to compete in the G1 Gran Premio Clásico Simón Bolívar, a 2,400-meter (roughly 1 1/4 miles) event scheduled for November 1. Before his move to South America, Grand Mo the First secured four wins out of 13 starts and earned $410,040 while trained by Victor Barboza, Jr., another Venezuelan native. Geofroy originally purchased the horse for $135,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.
Grand Mo the First began racing on Gulfstream Park’s all-weather track, winning his debut in the summer of his 2-year-old season and following that with an allowance optional claiming race win on the same surface that September. He then transitioned west to turf at Santa Anita Park, finishing third in the Grade 3 Zuma Beach Stakes to wrap up his juvenile year. His 3-year-old campaign involved further changes, shifting to dirt in the listed Swale Stakes where he placed third, and earning third in both the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and Grade 1 Florida Derby, performances that qualified him for the Kentucky Derby.
In the Derby, Grand Mo the First went off at 49-1 odds, the longest in the field, and finished 18th out of 20, ridden by Venezuelan jockey Emisael Jaramillo. Returning to turf that summer, he achieved success by winning the Bear’s Den Stakes at Gulfstream and narrowly missing first place with a second in the Grade 3 Virginia Derby. After only one start in 2025, Grand Mo the First returned to dirt racing in 2026, running three races: winning a one-mile allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream, placing fourth in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile Stakes at Monmouth Park, and most recently finishing fifth in the Mayor’s Mile Stakes at Parx.
This article first appeared in the News section of the Paulick Report on September 28, 2026. For ongoing updates, consider adding Paulick Report as a Preferred Source.
Fan Take: This development is exciting for horse racing fans as it highlights the international movement and opportunities for talented thoroughbreds beyond the U.S. Grand Mo the First’s venture into Venezuelan racing not only strengthens ties between the two racing cultures but also signals greater global competition, enriching the sport’s diversity and appeal.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
