Uncle Mo has been the presumptive Kentucky Derby favorite ever since his victory in the 2010 Breeder's Cup Juvenile. Despite only one early Derby prep race-more of a glorified workout than a competitive race-he's remained the top choice for the Kentucky Derby among the horse racing betting public and the members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Mo entered the weekend as the futures betting favorite at Nevada and offshore sportsbooks, and was favored in the Churchill Downs based Kentucky Derby Futures betting pool. He entered Saturday's Wood Memorial at Aqueduct as a whopping 1-9 post time favorite. All of this served to make Toby's Corner's victory in the Wood one of the biggest upsets in the history of thoroughbred racing.
While there will be endless speculation on where Toby's Corner's Wood Memorial victory ranks among the biggest upsets in horse racing history it's definitely the biggest upset this race since Secretariat lost the Wood in 1973. At the very least, that could provide some solace for Mike Repole and Uncle Mo's connections-Secretariat went on to dominate the Triple Crown and make a strong claim to being the greatest three year old in history. For now, however, Uncle Mo's third place finish is a profound disappointment. Toby's Corner wasn't a huge longshot at 8-1, but the victory did cause a deviation from 'the script' that a dominant Wood Memorial performance would be a perfect setup to take Uncle Mo into the Kentucky Derby early next month at Churchill Downs in Kentucky.
Uncle Mo recuperated quickly after a poor start and set the pace for much of the way, but basically couldn't close the deal in the final eighth of a mile. He renounced the lead to Arthur's Tale who was then caught by Toby's Corner just before the wire. Arthur's Tale would hold on to close the second with Uncle Mo settling for third. Toby's Corner paid horse racing fanatics $19.40 to win, $7.00 to place and $2.50 to show. Arthur's Tale returned $11.00 and $3.30 with Uncle Mo paying $2.10 to place.
Not unpredictably, Uncle Mo's connections were in something of a state of shock beginning with trainer Todd Pletcher:
"I can't say I'm shocked, but I'm disappointed. I wouldn't use that (Mo's stumble at the start) as an excuse, but after that he was kind of hounded early on. But I thought the fractions were reasonable. It was his first time a mile and an eighth, first time over the Aqueduct surface. Maybe he got a little tired the last part."
Owner Mike Repole was more philosophical:
"It's horse racing, I'm unhappy now as I am [when I lose] a $25,000 claimer."
Adding to the drama-post race video replays showed that Uncle Mo suffered a minor foot damage early on tearing off a piece of his hoof. By horse racing standards it wasn't particularly significant-trainer Pletcher explained it as being 'the size of a quarter' -but definitely looked painful. In addition-and unrelated to the hoof injury-Mo will undergo blood work this week to see if there are any other issues at play. Pletcher said it's standard operating process after a horse doesn't perform up to opportunities:
"We plan on pulling blood work on Tuesday after giving him a pair of days after the race, which is our standard when we have a horse that doesn't perform to our expectations. We are shipping Uncle Mo to Churchill Downs on April 18 to continue his preparations for the Kentucky Derby."
For now, the propose is still for Uncle Mo to race in the Kentucky Derby barring any negative report from his blood tests. The dynamic of the race has modify greatly, however, and it'll now be a wide open opposition heading in rather than a race with an overwhelming favorite in Uncle Mo and a group of 'also rans'.
While there will be endless speculation on where Toby's Corner's Wood Memorial victory ranks among the biggest upsets in horse racing history it's definitely the biggest upset this race since Secretariat lost the Wood in 1973. At the very least, that could provide some solace for Mike Repole and Uncle Mo's connections-Secretariat went on to dominate the Triple Crown and make a strong claim to being the greatest three year old in history. For now, however, Uncle Mo's third place finish is a profound disappointment. Toby's Corner wasn't a huge longshot at 8-1, but the victory did cause a deviation from 'the script' that a dominant Wood Memorial performance would be a perfect setup to take Uncle Mo into the Kentucky Derby early next month at Churchill Downs in Kentucky.
Uncle Mo recuperated quickly after a poor start and set the pace for much of the way, but basically couldn't close the deal in the final eighth of a mile. He renounced the lead to Arthur's Tale who was then caught by Toby's Corner just before the wire. Arthur's Tale would hold on to close the second with Uncle Mo settling for third. Toby's Corner paid horse racing fanatics $19.40 to win, $7.00 to place and $2.50 to show. Arthur's Tale returned $11.00 and $3.30 with Uncle Mo paying $2.10 to place.
Not unpredictably, Uncle Mo's connections were in something of a state of shock beginning with trainer Todd Pletcher:
"I can't say I'm shocked, but I'm disappointed. I wouldn't use that (Mo's stumble at the start) as an excuse, but after that he was kind of hounded early on. But I thought the fractions were reasonable. It was his first time a mile and an eighth, first time over the Aqueduct surface. Maybe he got a little tired the last part."
Owner Mike Repole was more philosophical:
"It's horse racing, I'm unhappy now as I am [when I lose] a $25,000 claimer."
Adding to the drama-post race video replays showed that Uncle Mo suffered a minor foot damage early on tearing off a piece of his hoof. By horse racing standards it wasn't particularly significant-trainer Pletcher explained it as being 'the size of a quarter' -but definitely looked painful. In addition-and unrelated to the hoof injury-Mo will undergo blood work this week to see if there are any other issues at play. Pletcher said it's standard operating process after a horse doesn't perform up to opportunities:
"We plan on pulling blood work on Tuesday after giving him a pair of days after the race, which is our standard when we have a horse that doesn't perform to our expectations. We are shipping Uncle Mo to Churchill Downs on April 18 to continue his preparations for the Kentucky Derby."
For now, the propose is still for Uncle Mo to race in the Kentucky Derby barring any negative report from his blood tests. The dynamic of the race has modify greatly, however, and it'll now be a wide open opposition heading in rather than a race with an overwhelming favorite in Uncle Mo and a group of 'also rans'.
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a widely published widely published freelance sports writer and noted authority on price per head. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and bookie software sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
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