Uncle Mo And The 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic? Maybe, But The Next Start Is The Kelso Handicap At Bel

By Author: Lee Lane-Edgar
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Uncle Mo will most likely make his next start in the $200,000 Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park, according to his owner Mike Repole. The Kelso is a Grade 2 event at 1 mile on the dirt for three year olds and up. The inaugural running of the Kelso was in 1980 and had been run exclusively on the turf until 2010, when it was changed to a dirt race.
The two year old champion is coming off a heartbreaking nose loss in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop, in which he was nailed at the wire by Caleb’s Posse. Nevertheless, it was a very good effort and one for which he received a Beyer Speed Figure of 106, indicating he is back in good form.
The Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup which is run at 1 ¼ miles on dirt the same day on which the Kelso will be run might have served as an ideal prep for Uncle Mo, should he end up racing in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1 1/4 miles at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5.
The $1 million, 1 1/8 mile Pennsylvania Derby had been an option for his next start, but after talking it over with Uncle Mo’s trainer Todd Pletcher, Repole and he felt that a one turn mile might be better suited for him right ...
... now, especially since it would be only the second start off a layoff.
He had made his last start in the Grade 1 Wood memorial, in which he stunned as the 1-10 favorite by finishing a lackluster third. He was scratched the week of the Kentucky Derby after being diagnosed with a gastrointestinal infection and was later diagnosed as having contracted a rare liver disorder called cholangiohepatitis.
Repole had said after the King’s Bishop that it might be his last race due to the fact that he ran so hard, though it now appears that the statement was a bit premature.
The reason that Repole and Pletcher have agreed that the Kelso might be an ideal next race is due to the timing. The Kelso is exactly five weeks after the King’s Bishop, and it is exactly five weeks from the Kelso to the Breeders’ Cup. The Pennsylvania Derby is one week prior to the Kelso and they want to give him a solid five weeks to recover, especially after having run so hard in the King’s Bishop.
Furthermore, Belmont Park is his home and he has already run big at that track, having taken the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes last year as a two year old. They will be able to have two or three workouts over a track he likes.
Uncle Mo may face talented older horses such as Jackson Bend and Jersey Town in the Kelso, and looks to be a much tougher spot than the Pennsylvania which is for three year olds only. Both Jackson Bend and Jersey Town are Grade 1 winners, and are certainly not going to lie down for the two year old champion. Uncle Mo has never faced older horses and if he can prove himself here, he will have arrived as a top handicap horse and he should be ready to go in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Repole said choosing the Kelso for Uncle Mo’s next start doesn’t mean he will be pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile as opposed to the Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1-1/4 miles.
Pletcher is confident that he will be able to get Uncle Mo fit and ready to go 1¼ miles should they decide to run in the Classic.
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