LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The victory by Uncle Mo in his 3-year-old debut Saturday was enough to make the colt the favorite in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager at the close of betting Sunday.
Uncle Mo closed as the 3-1 choice when wagering closed at 6 p.m. Eastern. The Todd Pletcher-trained Uncle Mo was a dominant winner of the Timely Writer Stakes at Gulfstream Park to run his career record to 4 for 4.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Premier Pegasus took a seemingly wide-open San Felipe Stakes and turned it into a tour de force on Saturday at Santa Anita, romping to a 7 3/4-length victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 race that serves as the final major prep for next month’s Santa Anita Derby.
As excited as trainer Todd Pletcher was to watch Uncle Mo return to the races in style Saturday at Gulfstream Park, was as disappointed as he had to be watching Brethren finish third in the Grade 2, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby one hour later.
Longshot Watch Me Go beat Crimson Knight, an even longer shot, by about a head to win the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, both horses checking in several lengths in front of heavily favored Brethren, who finished third.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - “He was the Derby favorite going in and he’s the Derby favorite coming out!”
That’s pretty much how trainer Todd Pletcher summed up Uncle Mo’s 3-year-old debut, an easy 3 3/4-length victory over a game but overmatched Rattlesnake Bridge in Saturday’s inaugural edition of Gulfstream Park’s $100,000 Timely Writer.
Uncle Mo, last year’s juvenile champion, kicked off his 3-year-old campaign in style with an approximate four-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Timely Writer Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The Gulfstream Park stall office reported Saturday that Gourmet Dinner, runner-up in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes here on Feb. 26 and a possible candidate for the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 3, shipped off the grounds early Friday evening with the destination on the transit slip listed as Ocala, Fla.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The Factor and Sway Away, who finished one-two in last month’s San Vicente Stakes, kept on similar itineraries Saturday morning here at Santa Anita when they turned in final workouts in preparation for scheduled starts in the Rebel Stakes for 3-year-olds next Saturday at Oaklawn Park.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.– Trainer Eddie Kenneally worked his Derby candidate Santiva an easy five furlongs in 1:02 at Palm Meadows on Saturday, then confirmed his intention to point the Grade 2 winner for the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland rather than the $1 million Louisiana Derby as originally planned.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A sizable bet on newcomer Runflatout made for a surprise early favorite and a skewed oddsboard during the opening hours of betting into Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future wager, which began its three-day run at noon Eastern on Friday.
As of 5 p.m., and with $24,592 in the win pool, Runflatout was the 5-2 favorite among the 24 betting interests, followed by To Honor and Serve (9-2), Uncle Mo (6-1), and the mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, at 10-1. An additional $5,498 had been bet into the exacta pool after the first five hours.
