PROFILE
| Foaled: | March 23, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Racing Circuit: | California |
| Color/Sex: | Colt |
| Sire: | Midshipman |
| Dam: | Thank You Note |
| Dam Sire: | Uncle Mo |
| Trainer: | Dan Blacker |
HORSE OVERVIEW
The MyRacehorse team landed an athletically built, high-upside colt by Midshipman out of the Uncle Mo mare Thank You Note on the final day of the 2025 OBS March sale for $270,000. He is set to be trained by none other than Dan Blacker, who has guided the career of the stable’s globe-trotting superstar and 2024 champion sprinter Straight No Chaser.
Thank You Note ‘23 turned in a :10 flat breeze in his sales preview, galloping out in :20 ⅗, :32 ⅖ and :49 ⅕. Two things in particular struck the MRH bloodstock team about his breeze. Firstly, he completed his work in very fast time despite displaying plenty of greenness (i.e. immaturity) and while swapping off of his correct lead. In this instance it appeared to clearly be a case of him running himself off of his own feet–i.e. he was moving so quickly that he hadn’t quite figured out how to harness his own speed and talent yet; not uncommon for a young runner at this very early stage of their racing career. Secondly, he possessed a huge stride, measured at 25.7 ft., putting him in first quartile among his group of breezers.
MyRacehorse’s big-striding purchase last year, the talented Caldera, has certainly made that a factor that the team takes closely into consideration.
The colt’s big stride is no surprise given his good size, ample leg and athletic walk. He is a very balanced individual with a powerful hind end and the shoulder to match. He gives the impression of one who should have no trouble stretching out to a route of ground, and as a Mar. 23 foal, he still seems to have further maturation and development to come.
Former champion juvenile Midshipman is the sire of no fewer than nine highest-level winners, as well as one of the most brilliant female turf sprinters in recent memory in Lady Shipman. He hails from the Unbridled’s Song sire line that MyRacehorse has had so much success with (2024 G1 Preakness winner and promising young sire Seize the Grey; as well as the aforementioned standout sophomore Caldera), and as of this writing boasts one of the best percentages of stakes horses to starters among all active stallions at 17%.
The market clearly holds Midshipman in plenty high regard as another colt earlier in the sale fetched $650,000.
Speaking of the aforementioned Lady Shipman, she is the dam of highly talented 2021 G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint hero Golden Pal. Golden Pal is by Uncle Mo, meaning the cross that produced Thank You Note ‘23 is the reverse of that super potent one (Midshipman over Uncle Mo vs. Uncle Mo over Midshipman).
The late, great Uncle Mo–a champion juvenile as well–has emerged as one of the best broodmare sires out there, having produced the likes of the dams of 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna and leading sophomore Journalism.
Thank You Note’s now 3-year-old was a debut winner as a May juvenile in maiden special weight company at Woodbine. The colt’s second dam was a multiple stakes winner by another top broodmare sire in Giant’s Causeway and there is plenty of additional black-type success down the page.
Thank You Note ‘23 shipped directly from the sale in Florida to California, where he will get approximately 60 days to let down post sale before joining the Dan Blacker barn in Southern California. Blacker has of course become a favorite trainer of the MyRacehorse base given his excellent work with 2-year-old sale value buy Straight No Chaser, winner of last year’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint en route to an Eclipse Award and still considered the best dirt sprinter in the world this season at age six.
Thank You Note ’23 has spent a bit of time after the OBS March sale letting down in the Blacker barn at Santa Anita, and shipped to Kingfisher Farm on Wednesday for 60-90 days or so of R&R, which is our standard protocol for horses of this type. He did exhibit some mild left shin soreness at the sale following his breeze and his medial right-front splint had been previously treated, both things which many of you probably already know are extremely common for 2-year-olds and were of no concern to our bloodstock team or our stable veterinarian Dr. Jeff Berk. His downtime at the farm should be more than sufficient to allow his growing body to catch up.
Expected on track: Fall 2025
Commissioned Update
Commissioned has been demonstrating some shin soreness since his recent work and gate schooling. This is nothing major, nor uncommon with 2-year-olds, though it is a little less common with horses who have already gone through a 2-year-old in training sale like Commissioned. He is jogging sound and not showing any lameness, but the shin soreness is evident when […]