I didn't cash a ticket on the Classic. However, I am completely confident in saying running Uncle Mo in it was one of the worst decisions made by top connections in the history of the Breeders' Cup. Rarely will you see a horse with such a scant resume compete in the BCC.

It capped a truly memorable weekend for Todd Pletcher, that's for sure.

Where did Mo belong then? This was the race for him, and he did not get it done. Pretty simple, he had no excuse. I for one was wrong about him.

no, it wasn't the race for him. they threw him in at 10f for the first time ever, vs older at the same time. off two races that didn't exactly prepare him for 1 1 /4 miles.
he beat stay thirsty and headache, which i find interesting. repole might want to consider a new trainer. bill mott maybe??

A slug like 104 won the Classic. If I would have told you that all Uncle Mo had to run was a 103 to be a length from winning the Classic would you have suggested that it was impossible a week ago? It's a 5 million dollar race, its the championship event of the year and a colt you think is superior to everything in the race is feeling OK and excelled on that same(sort of) surface 52 weeks ago.
He failed miserably and hindsight is always 20/20. Also the idea that he is less likely to be good next year because he ran an extra 2f's is beyond crazy.

In addition to making a good case for Uncle Mo to be a bet-against, Beyer made a nice call in isolating Hansen as a pick in the Juvenile.

from Beyer's 11/3 column in DRF:


--Dunbar

excellent job by beyer there.
i thought the bcj was the best race of the day.

Wait a minute, haven't you read the form, it wasn't the two race preparation, it wasn't the distance, it wasn't that he was facing older horses, everything would have been fine, but he just didn't handle the track.

:D

i was doubting the decision beforehand, so it's not monday morning qb'ing on my part.
didn't handle the track is a bs excuse. i guess stay thirsty didn't handle it either? it's trainerspeak, which is worth nothing at this point. i find it very interesting that both pletcher horses were up the track.

It was a horrible spot for him Freddy and the Beyer figure for the winner has nothing to do with it. Whether you believed his subsequent life-threatening affliction was what kept him from "getting" the 9fs of the Wood Memorial, it was a race that exposed some potential distance limitations.

His King's Bishop effort was terrific but it was at a trip that was ideal for him. The Kelso was another very strong effort but came as a result of setting a very soft pace on a track that favored horses with his style. Now, off of those two races, he is entered in the Classic? He had no seasoning whatsoever to be in that race.

Did any of you actually watch the BCC yesterday??????

Mo clearly was not getting over that track, that much was obvious.

Whether it was because there was more clay in the track like TP said, or there was something to the rumors earlier in the week, I haven't a clue.

I thought his King's Bishop was somewhat overhyped, or better put, overrated, and I disagree about that trip being ideal for him. That was a terrible setup for him.

Seasoning had nothing to do with his dismal performance yesterday. Watch the race again, and watch his action during the first 1/2 or 3/4's of the race. I cannot believe it's possible to focus on him running and not come away with the impression something was wrong. Between how hard he was laboring to run, his attempt to veer out on the first turn and his overall action, it was clear that seasoning, nor distance, were going to matter.

If he'd have run in the Mile, he'd have got dusted.

Let's leave the surface excuses to Pletcher. He has way more experience.

Ok. And let's leave watching a race with your eyes open to a race caller.

I thought the decision was the right one. If they were looking for the most likely spot to win, maybe not. If they have plans on running next year, maybe not. But I believe that if you talk it, walk it. You can't make claims that he's the best horse in the world, an all-time great......then settle for a consolation prize. Go big or go home. Winning the 8f race would have been forgotten very shortly. Is anyone going to be reminiscing in five years about the time they saw Caleb's Posse win the Dirt Mile? The way I saw it, most people believed he was the best miler in the country already so winning that race would have proved nothing. It was a higher risk/reward race than the Classic for sure. Losing a race where you're 3/5 at your best distance is no good. Losing the Classic doesn't hurt him because everyone blames the connections because truthfully, he did not fit the race. The Classic was really everything to win, nothing to lose for the horse.

I think he lost a lot.

He may have lost something, I dont know. I do know he was in the right race. I agree with IC also. I never really saw a comfortable horse yesterday.

Lost something? He is 3 and he has raced about 10 times in his entire life.

He's the East Coast version of The Factor. Give him perfect conditions and no pressure, and he's otherworldly.

Put a little squeeze on him and he won't "handle the track" every time.

If he runs again, he will never do anything better than his Kelso.

Yeah, you're right, I have no idea how to watch a horse race. I think that was made clear years ago.

Keep grasping at straws to explain the defeat away.

Give Mo a little more credit than that. I do get the comparison but Mo is certainly much more horse than The Factor who is more like Lion Heart without the Cobra Venom.