Chasing The Derby: Dust settles with diverse opinions on Uncle Mo, jumbled Derby picture, case of fever

Summary:

As disappointment from yesterday’s prep races still lingers, it’s time clear the fog and try to keep our eyes on the trail. Just because the next “great superhorse” failed to deliver in only his second start of the year, going the farthest he’s ever gone, doesn’t mean the Kentucky Derby is in shambles or less enticing. There are positives: Odds and payouts will undoubtedly be juicy and you can now make a case for almost all of the entries. Plus, who knows-- with the rapid improvement we’ve seen in the last two weeks from horses like Shackleford, Toby’s Corner, and Midnight Interlude, the sport’s next big thing could be lurking.

Here’s what we learned from yesterday:

- Toby’s Corner, winner of the Wood, ran the last 1/8^thin less than 12 seconds, the fastest of any Derby contender going a route distance this year.

- Toby’s Corner will ship late to Churchill and continue to train on Tapeta surface.

- Despite rumors, Uncle Mo seems to be fine and will ship to Churchill on April 18. He grabbed a quarter, the size of a nickel, and will heal quickly. Nonetheless they will pull blood work Tuesday to verify his soundness.

- Opinions on Mo’s performance and future ability vary greatly as expected— all the way to the point of some thinking he’ll never race again to others thinking he’s still the Derby favorite. I’ve included several blog posts that hit different parts of the spectrum.

- Comma To The Top’s trainer was fairly adamant about not running in the Derby before the Santa Anita Derby, but the tune has changed Sunday. Sounds like he’s probable.

- Beyer Speed figures:

o Wood Memorial: Toby’s Corner 94, Arthur’s Tale 93, Uncle Mo 91

o Santa Anita Derby: Midnight Interlude 95, Comma To The Top 95, Mr. Commons 91

o Illinois Derby: Joe Vann 93, Zoebear 86, The Fed Eased 85

In other news, there were quite a few works for the Blue Grass Stakes today including 3 from Todd Pletcher trainees; Praetereo, Sensational Slam, and Quesns’splatekitten// The Factor put in his final work ahead of the Arkansas Derby where he will be the short-priced favorite. A big performance there and he’ll likely be the favorite for the Kentucky Derby// more...

Articles:

· From Uncle Mo show to wide-open Kentucky Derby (NY Times)

· A Derby turned upside down (Bloodhorse Blog)

· Kentucky Derby flipped upside down (Daily Racing News)

· Uncle Mo grabs a quarter in Wood (Bloodhorse)

· Uncle Mo to have blood tests, remains on Kentucky Derby trail (DRF)

· No Mo (Greg Calabrese Blog)

· One Mo chance (Horsin’ Around Blog)

· Sunday’s here and it’s all about Mo (Pull The Pocket Blog)

· Toby’s Corner gains valuable experience in Wood (TTimes)

· Toby’s Corner back home following Wood score (Brisnet)

· Attendance, on-track handle rise for Wood (Bloodhorse)