Quote:
Originally Posted by NTamm1215
This is a VERY casual approach to their respective final preps. The field for the Florida Derby in 2008 was hardly accomplished but it was stronger than this year's Wood field. That, coupled with the fact that Big Brown ran a huge race that day to win from the 12 hole, set a very solid pace and keep on going, leads to the conclusion that the only similarity between Big Brown's Fla Derby and Uncle Mo's Wood is that they were both run at 1 1/8 miles.
I have never wavered from the opinion that the 2010 Uncle Mo will rip this field to shreds. However, we differ opinion-wise because I think the 2010 Uncle Mo is a thing of the past. You have few viable excuses for his Wood defeat other than "he didn't look comfortable" and apparently still believe his Timely Writer win was impressive despite walking through the opening half-mile and beating two horses who were pummeled in graded stakes in their next start.
Really, Uncle Mo at this point and Big Brown 3 years ago couldn't have been more different. One was just developing into something special while the other is trying to find what made him special. I honestly hope we see the same Uncle Mo on Saturday that we did in November at CD. If it means I don't cash any tickets I'll be happy because racing will have a star to follow and a big-mouth owner to grab headlines.
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Uncle Mo could have won the Timely Writer by as much as the jockey wanted. My guess is that it was meant to be a workout, which it was, with the expectation of things going well in the Wood, which would be more of a tightener than the Timely Writer.
The Wood, something was definitely wrong in my near sighted eyes. My first inclination was that he hated the track, but who knows, maybe he really was sick.
I hate that they were total sissies with him this year, but it is what it is, and I haven't seen anything to definitively say he has regressed from last year.