Mo Town, an established American Grade 1 winner and proven sire, together with Twain, a brilliant young European Group 1 winner, will stand in Türkiye beginning with the 2027 breeding season.

The Turkish Jockey Club (TJK) has announced another major investment in the future of Turkish Thoroughbred breeding with the acquisition of Mo Town and Twain from the world-renowned Coolmore operation.

Representing two of the world’s most respected sire lines, the pair will join the TJK stallion roster in Türkiye, significantly expanding Turkish breeders’ access to elite American and European bloodlines.

On one side stands Mo Town, a Grade 1 winner who has already established himself as a successful sire. On the other is Twain, an exciting young colt who captured a Group 1 victory at just two years of age and is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most promising stallion prospects. Bringing both stallions to Türkiye at the same time is considered one of the most significant breeding investments made for the Turkish Thoroughbred industry in recent years.

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Mo Town; From Grade 1 Performer to Proven Sire

Foaled in 2014, Mo Town (Uncle Mo – Grazie Mille, by Bernardini) made ten career starts, recording four victories, one second and two thirds, while earning $519,600.

He first announced himself as a top-class performer by capturing the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct as a two-year-old before recording the signature victory of his racing career in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar Racetrack.

Successful at the highest level on both dirt and turf, Mo Town demonstrated outstanding versatility throughout his racing career.

His sire Uncle Mo is widely regarded as one of the world’s most influential stallions of the modern era, while his dam Grazie Mille, a daughter of Bernardini—the Preakness Stakes winner and U.S. Horse of the Year—belongs to one of America’s most distinguished female families.

A Proven Success at Stud

Following his retirement from racing, Mo Town entered stud at Ashford Stud in Kentucky, where he quickly established himself as a successful sire.

From his first five crops of racing age, he has produced 292 individual winners, whose combined earnings have exceeded $24 million.

Successful Progeny

Among Mo Town’s leading performers are;

• Play the Music, Canada’s 2024 Champion Female Sprinter
• Grade 2 winners Mystic Lake, Classic Mo Town, and The Key of Life
• Grade 3 winners Accidental Hero and Mo Stash

Another notable offspring, Doncho, set track records over five furlongs on turf at Churchill Downs and 5½ furlongs on turf at Ellis Park, further demonstrating Mo Town’s ability to consistently pass on exceptional speed to his progeny.

Twain;  A Group 1 Winner in Only His Second Career Start

The second stallion acquired by TJK, Twain (Wootton Bassett – Wading, by Montjeu), is already regarded as one of Europe’s most exciting young stallion prospects despite his brief racing career.

Foaled in 2022, Twain was trained by the legendary Aidan O’Brien.

He made his racecourse debut at Leopardstown on 19 October 2024, producing an eye-catching performance to win a 1400-metre maiden on turf by six lengths.

Just eight days later, Twain stepped up to Group 1 company in the Critérium International at Saint-Cloud in France. Ridden by Ryan Moore, he delivered another outstanding performance to win a Group 1 race in only his second career start.

That performance immediately marked Twain as one of Europe’s most exciting young stallion prospects and confirmed the enormous potential many breeders had already seen in him.

The Wootton Bassett Bloodline Arrives in Türkiye

Twain’s sire Wootton Bassett has become one of Europe’s most sought-after stallions in recent years.

He is the sire of numerous Group 1 winners, including: Almanzor, King Of Steel, Al Riffa, Henri Matisse, Camille Pissarro, Bucanero Fuerte and Unquestionable…

Renowned for the outstanding quality of his two-year-olds, Wootton Bassett has established himself as one of the most influential stallions in international Thoroughbred breeding.

Twain’s dam Wading was a Group 2 Rockfel Stakes winner and contributes the outstanding Montjeu bloodline to his pedigree.

Consequently, Twain combines one of Europe’s most fashionable modern sire lines with one of the sport’s most respected Classic-distance families, making him an exceptionally attractive stallion prospect.

A Significant Investment in Turkish Thoroughbred Breeding

Although Mo Town and Twain represent two very different stallion profiles, they complement one another exceptionally well.

Mo Town arrives in Türkiye as an established sire who has already proven his ability to produce high-class racehorses, with hundreds of winners to his credit.

Twain, meanwhile, is a young Group 1-winning prospect whose elite European pedigree and precocious racing achievements point to an exciting future at stud.

By bringing elite American and European bloodlines to Türkiye simultaneously, the Turkish Jockey Club will provide Turkish breeders with a much wider range of mating options, while significantly strengthening the country’s Thoroughbred gene pool.

Although it will be several years before their first Turkish-bred offspring reach the racetrack, the long-term impact of this investment is expected to be felt throughout Turkish Thoroughbred breeding for many years to come, further reinforcing Türkiye’s ambition to strengthen its position on the international Thoroughbred breeding stage.