Kentucky Derby 137

If Uncle Mo steps into the gate, he'd better represent really well, or Repole and Pletcher are going to face a whole lot of questions they're not going to like, a little bit.

I wouldn't hold my breath about any imminent breakdown, but there appear to be issues regarding energy levels and a surface reluctance to finish every oat in the feed tub.

Tell you right now . . . I'll be surprised if he runs.

 

Right. They really, really, really don't want another Life At Ten or Big Brown-Belmont type of situation to happen.

I don't expect him to run, either, and I'm to the point where I don't want him to.

 

Going for a Triple Crown, the Big Brown people really had no choice . . . but multiple people on this board were living, breathing eyewitnesses when I said he'd finish off the board in the Belmont, the night before the race.

 

My takeaway is that Uncle Mo's price has been getting better and better since the Wood....

 

You can get all the 11-2 you want in Britain, right now. They can smell the disease all the way across the pond.

 

If the plan is to run Uncle Mo according to his customary style, out in front, his handlers just ought to ship him to Baltimore right now. Being a front-runner in the Derby is, more often than not, the easiest way to finish 15th (or worse).

 

Repole said if they miss the Derby, the Preakness and Belmont are out, too. They would gear for the Travers and BC Classic.

 

Not exactly what he said. He said if he missed the Preakness, he wouldn't run in the Belmont. But he didn't rule out the Preakness if he missed the Derby.

 

Days of a Triple Crown winner are gone.

 

My mom likes Pants on Fire for the name, but she also likes chick jockeys. It's a win win.

Herald-Leader misspelled Robby Albarado's first name on the sports front (early edition) yesterday with a tease to his broken nose. I wish it had come at the hands of his wife.

 

To the credit of the connections, Mo has been scratched.

 

You're right, I may have been extrapolating a little bit. find it hard to believe the horse is going to be ready for the Preakness. They love the way he galloped this AM, but he's lost weight, isn't cleaning up the feed tub and his coat doesn't have that "Put me in, coach" shine to it.

Pletcher brought it up again this morning: "I told Mike that this decision is going to really, really stink on May 7th, but let's hope that, the rest of the year, when they run the Jim Dandy and the Travers and the Breeders' Cup Classic and those type of races, it's going to be real good. That's what we've got to hope for."

Adjusted morning line coming out later today.