LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Trainer Todd Pletcher assured everyone that Uncle Mo, the 5-2 favorite for the $5 million Classic on Saturday, was fine even though the 3-year-old colt never left the barn area Tuesday morning.
Racing blogs were buzzing when Uncle Mo, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner at Churchill Downs, did not come to the track for his usual morning exercise. He had his final workout for the Classic on Sunday and went for an easy jog Monday.
With Uncle Mo, any deviation in schedule raises red flags because of his health history. He missed the Kentucky Derby in May with a liver ailment that knocked him out of the Triple Crown and sidelined him until late August.
Pletcher said the day off was by design, not necessity.
“He just stayed in the barn,” Pletcher said. “It gives you guys something to worry about, but I feel like we’re coming up to the race in excellent shape with what I feel is the most talented horse in the race.”
Back again.
Goldikova, the remarkable mare from France seeking a fourth straight win in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on the turf, had her first jog at Churchill Downs on a crisp, clear morning.
The first three-time winner in the Breeders’ Cup cleared the required quarantine and went to the track with six other European runners for some light exercise. The 6-year-old is 2-3-0 in five starts this season, having suffered narrow losses in her past two stakes in France.
Trainer Freddie Head was en route to Louisville on Tuesday, leaving the supervision to assistant Regis Barbedette.
“It’s something you think about every day,” Barbedette said of the mare’s Breeders’ Cup success.
“With what she’s already achieved, she’s already made history. If she were to win a fourth, it would definitely climb up another step.”
No relief.
Prayer for Relief has been scratched from the Classic, reducing the field to 12.
Breeders’ Cup officials said the 3-year-old colt developed a fever and would remain in California at trainer Bob Baffert’s barn.
Prayer for Relief started the season with four straight wins, including the Iowa Derby, the West Virginia Derby and the Super Derby at Louisiana Downs. His lone loss of the season came in his last start, a third-place finish in the Oklahoma Derby.
The loss of Prayer for Relief still leaves Baffert with a horse in the Classic: Santa Anita Handicap winner Game On Dude.
The Associated Press
