Mike Watchmaker

After having a night to sleep on it, I still can’t see much that was positive about Uncle Mo’s performance in Saturday’s Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in regard to his status for the Kentucky Derby.

There was always a chance that Uncle Mo, despite his brilliance, would be distance-challenged, given his pedigree. But WOW! After watching Saturday’s Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, I have to wonder why Uncle Mo’s connections would even think about going on to the Kentucky Derby, the classic he was a strong favorite for before his "performance" in the Wood. Despite easily controlling a comfortable pace, Uncle Mo went to hopping up and down at the eighth pole like a horse who wants no part of 1 1/8 miles, let alone 1 ¼ miles.

The 89 Beyer Figure Uncle Mo earned in the Timely Writer Stakes in his first start this year was the lowest of his career by five Beyer points. But that pedestrian – by Uncle Mo’s standards – 89 Beyer was entirely due to the very slow early pace in the Timely Writer of 25.53 and 49.58. Uncle Mo would have had to have been a super horse to finish fast enough to post a final time fast enough to reach the lofty Beyer standards he established for himself last year at 2 when he earned numbers of 102, 94, and 108.

Sunday’s Florida Derby at Gulfstream, narrowly won by Dialed In, was a good news, bad news affair that raised as many questions as it answered. First, the good news:

We had been on a run in recent weeks with a series of strong performances from 3-year-olds with their eyes set on the Kentucky Derby who all had a legitimate right to both run as well as they did in key prep races, and to their lofty Derby aspirations – The Factor in the Rebel, Premier Pegasus in the San Felipe and Uncle Mo in the Timely Writer, Stay Thirsty in the Gotham, and Soldat in the Fountain of Youth.