Uncle Mo Surgery Conspiracy
 

In comments section from Haskin's most recent Derby Dozen:

Did anyone ever ask them about this? Obviously the "conspiracy" and "rumors" have been around for a while... yet no one wrote about it, unless I missed it.

i saw him getting a bath today and he looked good!

Why would they cover that up?

To keep his price low so they can get a bigger price on Brethren?

The story makes no sense.

People hate Uncle Mo so much that it's hard for me to believe any of these crazy stories as well. It's easy to imagine some random critic of Uncle Mo spreading false rumors for fun.

Why would they cover it up???


1. To keep Mo's t-shrt sales up?

2. They know the sport and, indeed, the galaxy, are better off with a competitive 3 yo Mo?

3. Pletcher can wave his hand and make Mo's 2 yo form appear anytime he wants to anyway?

4. They are having fun at the expense of Mo-tards?

The story is Repole told his niece to post it on Facebook and or to tell DrugS when he met her at the Motel 6 on RT 82 in Erie but she misremembered and just told everybody Mo was doing great. So to save face and not to hurt his nieces rep and after being pleased with the Timely Writer they decided to sweep the issue under the rug.. I heard DrugS is still heartbroken

FreddyMo is back, Prozac is whack

I like Misremembered.

There are "Mo-tards" out there? I'm an Uncle Mo fan, but if a fat guy in a tank top starts showing up at every Uncly start chanting his name in perpetuity, I'm totally jumping off the ship.

Wouldn't Mo-Rons be a better nickname for those folks that may or may not exist?

:tro:

"In the comments section"...take any news story on any website and you'll find similar idiotic comments stirring the pot.

Sharp post.

Minor infection right now...

Statement from Trainer Todd Pletcher and Owner Mike Repole Regarding Veterinarian Exam and Test Results on Uncle Mo

Todd Pletcher… Although it is not my standard practice to share a horse’s examination results with anyone other than the owner, I feel that Uncle Mo’s disappointing performance in the Wood Memorial warrants an explanation. After his three extremely impressive starts as a two-year-old and his dominant performance in the Timely Writer S. in March, the Wood Memorial was an uncharacteristically poor effort. On Tuesday, we did a number of tests and pulled some blood work. Late yesterday, both Mike and I spoke with the vets, who concluded that Uncle Mo has a GI tract infection, and we began treatment immediately. The vets also concluded that Uncle Mo is perfectly capable of returning to full training while the treatment continues. He will ship to Churchill Downs on April 18th and will have two works before May 7th. If I do not feel that Uncle Mo is 100% for the Kentucky Derby, both Mike and I agree that he will not run. My main focus is to return Uncle Mo to optimum health in the next 23 days, and I am optimistic that we can accomplish this goal.

Mike Repole…I am relieved that the vets were able to find a reason why we got a disappointing performance from Uncle Mo in the Wood Memorial. I, like all racing fans hope that Uncle Mo will be 100% on May 7th and in the starting gate at Churchill Downs. Though it has been a lifelong dream to run and win the Kentucky Derby, if Uncle Mo is not 100%, we will skip the Derby and go right to the Preakness. I have the utmost confidence in Todd, his staff and Mo’s team of veterinarians. We all appreciate everyone’s concern and care for this wonderfully gifted champion.”

And I thought Mo would never get another GI.

rimshot! nice!

It wouldn't be newsworthy if the Eclipse Award winner and heavy Kentucky Derby favorite had surgery in the winter between his 2 and 3YO seasons? Really? This is on the heels of the same trainer, and his go to jockey, being castigated for a fiasco in one of the highest profile races of the year that specifically dealt with information being withheld from the public. The people who bet tens of thousands of dollars on Uncle Mo in Kentucky Derby Future Pool 1 and in other futures both in Vegas and beyond might have wanted to know that the horse had something going on besides "R and R" this winter in Fla.

Either you believe that the wagering public has the right to know or you don't. What Mike Repole attempted to do was establish an aura of invincibility around Uncle Mo. Having an event where a lucky fan was able to meet him? Inviting pre-school students to visit him at his stall at Belmont? Those are things that you can't do when the public knows that the horse is potentially damaged goods. Instead he was exposed and we're now hearing about how he has gas and the topic of missing the Derby is already on their tongues.

We could be in the midst of a really good snow job by Todd Pletcher, who seems like such a shockingly honest and upstanding individual.

:tro::tro: mo-rons.........is great. thats reserved for people that say you hate uncle mo because you are a critic or bet against him.....i like the horse, i would not bet on him at a low price though. anyone thats been following racing as long as i have, realizes that the trainer is playing a game with this horse...... i have an aversion for most favorites...they win 1 out of 3 and theres no getting around that...so for an "a" hole like me....i need the mo-rons, zen-tards, rachel-idiots and big brown-baggers. when they are vulnerable....they still get over bet.....;)

I understand why it would be covered up NOW, but why hide it in the first place?? That's what makes no sense to me.

The more I think about it however, the more plausible it is.

Nick are you referring to rest and relaxation or Rood and Riddle Equine hospital?

Of course it is newsworthy. The question is why hide it? I'm not buying that it was to preserve/create an aura.

Also, the wagering public has no rights. We are the lowest of the low in this food chain. The more information, the better, but given the vast number of horses that are not stabled at the track, it would be impossible to get accurate reporting on procedures performed on horses since their last start. We are left to speculate on layoffs, unless a trainer or owner gets generous and is genuine with the information. Most tracks have a hard enough time reporting geldings and getting the shoe information out to the masses.

The former.

Without a doubt we're fighting to get what info we can. However, and I'm sure you agree with the distinction, Uncle Mo is a bit more high profile than the average claimer who's been shelved for no apparent reason and is taking forever to get back to the track.

Maybe I'm wrong and I don't know the guy but I think Mike Repole's ego would have been hurt badly by word getting out that his superstar is fragile.

I thought the word on Uncle Mo was out that he was fragile?

Fragility was one of the first things ever brought up about him after he broke his maiden.

Between his connections, breeding, brilliance, etc, these sorts of discussions and events seemed almost inevitable.

Uncle FreddyMo,

Were you away all of this time having secret surgery too?

uncle mo tested positive for swine flu...............hes a pig.

aka Eskendereya showing up with wraps and people telling me I was crazy to think he is anything but a 100%. :rolleyes: yeah right

Give it a rest.

Call me Franny Mo now, let's go shopping..

NOTHING gets out of the Pletcher barn that TAP doesn't want to get out of the Pletcher barn. Todd never ever wants to admit that any horse in his barn has had any vet care other than routine worming and vaccinations. Knowing what a steel trap that operation is, I'm not shocked at all. I spoke last year with a friend of a friend who used to work for TAP. I was amazed at stories I head than never went public, stuff even Grening didn't know and he knows the NY shedrows better than any reporter.
Let me state that the stuff I heard was NOT about anything illegal. I'm just talking about routine stuff like "Oh, THAT filly, she bowed in training and has a 2yo and a yearling now...or that colt was gelded and is in training at Retama now." These were prominent enough horses that their sudden absence would have raised a red flag.
The tradition in racing is that the horse belongs to it's owner, no matter how the internet wants to make certain horses "the people's horse." Owners/trainers are NOT obligated to disclose every time a top runner gets a runny nose or a bruise. That said, I do agree with NTamm. The trainer/jockey looked pretty bad in the wake of the LAT/BCDistaff situation. I saw Mo in the paddock and he looked as quiet as an old hack, but I have never seen him up close in the paddock before. That could be his typical demeanor. When hundreds of thousands are being bet in futures it would seem like if a horse that has been compared in print to Seattle Slew had surgery last fall, that maybe the public would want to know.

:D I'm not a big shopper, wanna go ride the pretty horseys instead?

Some people take themselves way too seriously.

Yeah, that was one of the rare times I was in agreement with you.

It seemed suspicious.

Well, that all at least makes some sense. TAP an over the top control freak could explain things.

Whatever the story, I don't want to bet Mo in the Derby. It wouldn't be the first time horse won the Derby without me.

I don't know. He could be the third choice, after Dialed In and The Factor.

He'd be excellent value.

This will ease your collective minds:

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/horse...cry-uncle.aspx

Case closed.

Seriously,

Any vets or trainers who can explain the shaved area? For what reason is that area normally shaved?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/easygoer/5606219087

ultrasound of area, or take joint fluid out to examine (infection, inflammation, etc), or injection. Not a big deal.