Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Uncle Mo recovers, Mike Repole confident about Saratoga return
Owner Mike Repole was skeptical of Uncle Mo being able to soak up the rigors of training after recovering from a rare liver disease. But last year’s two-year old champion has come a long way from that as he has started galloping and preparing himself to
get shipped to Saratoga on 11 July 2011.
Jogging came before galloping as Uncle Mo followed a strict mild-training plan to begin with, which aided him on the road to recovery. The now three-year old bay colt was based at Winstar Farm in Kentucky just after being scratched from the Kentucky Derby
7 May 2011. That is where he started his jogging routine on 24 June, 2011.
Owner, Mike Repole, and, trainer Todd Pletcher, made it easy for Uncle Mo. He gave no deadlines for the colt and gave him ample time to recover from the disease. It demanded time and they did not push it.
Mike Repole did mention a dream scenario under which, Uncle Mo, gets fit and healthy before the Grade 1 King’s Bishop at Saratoga on 27 August. The race is just around the corner and it remains to be seen if the colt can make preparations to compete in a
race of that stature.
Uncle Mo’s arrival from rehab has been eagerly anticipated by horse racing fans because the son of Indian Charlie gave them enough to love him, with the sensational start to his racing career and impressive wins.
He was expected to win the Kentucky Derby 7 May and go all out for the Triple Crown and with credentials as impressive as his owner, Mike Repole, did not know what to believe but his instincts.
Uncle Mo’s two-year old career was squeaky clean as the colt went undefeated throughout the year of 2010. He had outstanding performances in Grade 1 races, such as the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, at Churchill Downs 6 November 2011, where he smashed
his opponents.
Before the Breeders’ Cup victory, Uncle Mo conquered the prestigious and highly contested Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on 9 October 2011.
He blasted his way in the Timely Writer Stakes and announced his arrival in the 2011 season with a massive win at the Gulfstream Park, but unfortunately when the big times came he had to go back in the shed with a liver disease.
The disease ridden Uncle Mo is making outstanding progress and started to gain weight, enough to gallop around to show his owner and trainer that he wants to go back to the tracks and add to his already huge earnings, which go up to, £889,744.
The two-year old champion has had a little stutter on his way to greatness, but a little set back will not be enough to keep the champion horse down.
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