I Want Mo, Mo, Mo

After a performance like this, don‘t we all want Mo, Mo, Mo ? It’s difficult to steal the show on the biggest afternoon at Saratoga, especially if you are running in a maiden special weight, but that is precisely what a juvenile son of Indian Charlie was able to do. Uncle Mo turned in one of the most dazzling debuts of recent years, and he did it in front of a huge crowd on Travers day. The bay colt displayed his total superiority over a well bred field of ten by drawing off with each impressive stride to hit the finish line 14 ¼ lengths the best. Rider Johnny Velazquez stayed busy, but his main task was to just hold on to the $220,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase. Bettors believed in the Todd Pletcher trained juvenile right from the get go, as they hammered Uncle Mo down to 4-5 in the maiden race, and should make him even lower in the most prestigious of all two-year-old races in New York. In fact, Pletcher and owner Mike Repole appear to have pocket aces in the hole for Saturday's Grade 1 Champagne, considering they also have entered Stay Thirsty. The son of Bernardini, who was runner-up in the recent Hopeful Stakes, looms as the one obvious threat to the Uncle. If the connections do decide to run Stay Thirsty in the same race as Uncle Mo, they should form an irresistible dynamic duo in Saturday’s race, and quite possibly again four weeks later for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. But make no mistake, the Champagne is all about Uncle Mo. How far can he go?  Can he win a grade 1 in only his second start?  How good/great will he become? Answers will soon come, but for now, I want Mo, Mo, Mo.

Who Am I ???

*A one-time champion, I was bred in Kentucky, and trained by a Hall of Famer most of my career. *Well traveled, I competed in stakes races at ten different racetracks and on both sides of the Atlantic. *I spent a great deal of time at a racetrack, and in a state, where I never once ran. *Two-thirds of my lifetime victories came during my championship season. *I always felt that my name was a mutual idea. *I may not have been quite the horse that my sire was, but I did pretty well for myself. *My stakes wins had a seven furlong spread between the shortest and the longest. *I won only 1 of 9 races as a juvenile, but after that, I was never off the board. *My first win was at Aqueduct, my last win in America was at Arlington Park. *My six stakes wins occurred at five different tracks, in four states, and in two different nations. *The First Saturday in May proved to be my coming out party. You should know by now … Who Am I ???

Death Threats … To a Horse???

You have to stop and wonder what’s going on in the world when a thoroughbred race horse receives death threats. This troubling circumstance came about last week when Rinterval’s life was threatened just days before she was due to run in the Lady’s Secret Stakes at Hollywood Park. Considered to be one of the top challengers to the mighty Zenyatta on Saturday, Rinterval had given the undefeated superstar a strong challenge in the Clement Hirsch Stakes, in both horses previous race. When trainer Eric Reed arrived to his horse on Thursday he was surprised to see a group of security around the barn. He wondered if they were there keeping an eye on  him. In fact they were there to protect his horse. The first thing that crossed my mind when I learned of the situation was the stabbing attack of Monica Seles by a rabid tennis fan named Gunter Parche in 1993. Parche was an obsessed fan of Steffi Graf who could not bear to see the object of his affection supplanted as the number one player in the world by the younger Seles. Monica Seles survived the on court attack, but her athletic career was derailed and never quite the same as before she was stabbed. With the help of 24/7 security detail surrounding Rinterval, the five-year-old mare, owned by Jerry Jamgotchian, was kept safe until it was time to bring her over to the track for the race. In a bizarre turn, Rinterval had to be scratched moments before the running of the grade 1 race. Apparently she became agitated by the noise and waving of signs created by the presence of Zenyatta. She banged her head in the commotion and was scratched for her safety. In the Hollywood Park paddock fans can get very close to the horses. Too close to comfort for Reed, who said he doesn't blame the fans, but would consider saddling his horses outside of the usual area in future races at Hollywood Park. According to Reed, Rinterval was left no worse for wear after the ordeal, and in fact worked five furlongs at Hollywood Park yesterday before flying back to Kentucky, where she is being now pointed for the Spinster Stakes this coming Sunday. Horse racing is a sport that invokes great emotion and passion. I know this fact firsthand, but to turn that fervor into even the threat of harming or killing a horse disgusts me. To the despicable person or persons who made the death threat … I urge you to get some help.

32 Days and Counting … ZATT’s Breeders’ Cup Rankings

MARATHON 1. Temple City 2. A.U. Miner 3. Eldaafer 4. Alcomo 5. Unusual Suspect JUVENILE FILLIES TURF 1. Winter Memories 2. White Moonstone 3. Roxy Gap 4. New Normal 5. Fancy Point FILLY & MARE SPRINT 1. Champagne D’oro 2. Evening Jewel 3. Rightly So 4. Sara Louise 5. Sweet August Moon JUVENILE FILLIES 1. Summer Laugh 2. Tell a Kelly 3. Wonderlandbynight 4. Awesome Feather 5. R Heat Lightning FILLY & MARE TURF 1. Midday 2. Red Desire 3. Éclair de Lune 4. Hibaayeb 5. Ave LADIES’ CLASSIC 1. Blind Luck 2. Havre de Grace 3. Devil May Care 4. Life at Ten 5. Biofuel JUVENILE TURF 1. Rough Sailing 2. Soldat 3. Major Gain 4. Air Support 5. Pluck TURF SPRINT 1. California Flag 2. Chamberlain Bridge 3. Rose Catherine 4. Fatal Bullet 5. Stradivinsky MILE DIRT 1. Musket Man 2. Tizway 3. Here Comes Ben 4. Crown of Thorns 5. Warrior’s Reward JUVENILE 1. Stay Thirsty 2. Boys at Tosconova 3. Uncle Mo 4. Jaycito 5. Pathfork MILE 1. Goldikova 2. Violon Sacre 3. Gio Ponti 4. Sidney’s Candy 5. Paco Boy SPRINT 1. Discreetly Mine 2. Big Drama 3. Atta Boy Roy 4. Girolamo 5. Kinsale King TURF 1. Paddy O’Prado 2. Workforce 3. Al Khali 4. Fame and Glory 5. Bourbon Bay CLASSIC 1. Blame 2. Zenyatta 3. Lookin at Lucky 4. Quality Road 5. Espoir City

Lions and Tigers and Zenyatta, Oh My!

Who doesn’t love a good cliff hanger. A film that holds you gripped in suspense until the very end when the thrilling climax is revealed. Usually the hero comes out on top, that is, if it is a typical Hollywood script. I’m here to tell you, Zenyatta is pure Hollywood. I’ve seen this film over and over again, and I can't help but be sucked in every time. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here

In a New York State of Mind

What a day. Good horses, great times, and better people. Sincere thanks to all of you that made my homecoming to Belmont an unforgettable day. A man with friends is a rich man, and yesterday I felt like a billionaire. As far as the equine stars, there was no doubt that Haynesfield stole the show. Touted to us by Sam the Bugler, the lone New York-bred in the field made every pole a winning one in the prestigious Jockey Club Gold Cup. The days headliner, on a day with five grade 1 stakes, was dominated by the four-year-old son of Speightstown. Under a heady ride by Ramon Dominguez, Haynesfield was allowed to relax on an uncontested lead, while setting early fractions that were slower than expected. Opening up by as much as seven lengths early in the stretch, he proved long gone from the rest, including heavily favored Blame. Sent off at 7-1, Haynesfield improved his lifetime record to a sparkling 9 for 13. At the wire, he was under wraps, and four lengths ahead of Blame, the 4-5 favorite, who had his five race win streak snapped. Haynesfield, proving he enjoys Belmont as much as I do, is now a whisker away from being perfect in six starts at Big Sandy. In the day’s other big events, it was the Flower Bowl that proved to be the most exciting. English import Ave was able to split horses in deep stretch, and power to a narrow victory over Changing Skies and Red Desire. It was the first victory in America for the Roger Attfield trained miss, and announces her as a real threat for next month’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Also impressive on Belmont’s yielding turf course yesterday was Winchester. The early trailer in the nine-horse field, he uncorked a furious rally that carried him by the game favorite Paddy O'Prado who had made what looked like a winning move on the turn. The win in the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic was Winchester’s second grade 1 victory on big days at Belmont this year, as he had earlier accounted for the Manhattan Handicap on Belmont Stakes day. As a 2-1 favorite, I was not willing to place my money on Girolamo, who had never before run the distance of six furlongs. The sprint trip proved to be no problem, as the four-year-old son of A.P. Indy showed the rest of the field both his class and his heels in powering his way to an easy score in the Vosburgh Invitational. In the Grade 1 Beldame, Life At Ten, returned to her winning ways with a rather easy two length tally. Clearly enjoying no Rachel Alexandra to deal with, she won her fifth stakes race of the year in only six starts, and now will head to the Breeders’ Cup as one of the horses to beat in the Ladies Classic.