Uncle Mo to join Todd Pletcher at Saratoga – hopeful of King’s Bishop Stakes 2011
It seems that the champion son of Indian Charlie, Uncle Mo, will be back in action soon after being diagnosed with a rare liver disease, which pinned him down, for a good three months.
The recovery has been swift and it prompted a reunion with trainer, Todd Pletcher, at his string at Saratoga race course on 11 July from Winstar Farm Kentucky.
Owner, Mike Repole, had a dream scenario in which, the three-year old bay colt gets fit enough to participate in the 27 August Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes.
Uncle Mo has started galloping before time, which indicates, his positive recovery curve. The more signs he shows on training grounds, the possibility of a run at Saratoga this August becomes more real.
The stature of the race is massive as the King’s Bishop Stakes attracts a group of three-year olds willing to test each other out at a distance of seven furlongs on dirt on a left-handed Saratoga race track.
The Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes has a purse worth $250,000 and the race is considered to be a Breeders’ Cup Sprint preparation race run over 6 ¾ furlongs.
Participating in the year’s biggest sprint for three-year olds would be a perfect come back evaluator for Uncle Mo, as both owner, Mike Repole, and, trainer, Todd Pletcher, can assess if he really is the best of his generation.
Last year’s champion two year colt, Uncle Mo skipped the all important first leg of the Triple Crown, the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby because of his untimely disease.
Uncle Mo hasn’t run a race since his third place finish in the Grade 1 Resort World New York Wood Memorial Stakes, run at a distance of 1 mile and a furlong at Aqueduct race course on 9 April 2011.
The Aqueduct loss was the three-year olds only loss of his career, prior to that he had won all of his four starts leaving his record strong, at 4 wins out of 5 starts, including a Grade 1 victory in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park on 9 October 2010.
The victory at Belmont Park followed by another win at Churchill Downs in the Grade 1 Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for two-year old colts and geldings on 6 November 2010.
These two wins for Uncle Mo defined his greatness at a higher level and his performances spoke for themselves. Uncle Mo can make a name for himself yet again by winning the Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes, as the division is wide open up till now. It’s still
all up for grabs and if anyone can make a strong finish this year, it could still count as a good year.
Uncle Mo with a win under his belt this year already, can still make a strong statement to his critics and reclaim his title of being the best of his generation.
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