Pletcher statement re: Uncle Mo vet exam results
 

Statement from Todd Pletcher 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."

GI tract infection? Can someone please explain?

Is that like the sh!ts.. probably didn't adjust well to new PED's

Gotta be respiratory tract.

I almost get the feeling that Repole made Pletcher go public with the report/excuse to save face.

Kind of funny how different people interpret things, I thought it was pretty stand-up for them to make a public statement.

I hope Mo recovers well and returns to dominate form.

It does sound a bit far fetched.

Definitely, horses never get infections.

I honestly don't remember (maybe due to the entire s.hit storm that was going on), but did Pletcher release some sort of offical press release explaining what happened after the whole Life at Ten incident? I don't remember hearing one (maybe he couldn't due to on-going investigation), but I just figured that if Pletcher was ever going to issue a press release, that would have been the ideal time to do it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that the horse is doing well. I want to see him run and run well at Churchill.

That camp is fueling the fire in regard to the Uncle Mo guessing game.

Some secret surgery that was a horribly kept secret this winter if true - grabbing the quarter at the start - now he had the sh!ts.

I'd buy this more if he put in a classic 'non-effort' - but I don't think he did.

You think of non-effort - you think of like Afleet Alex in the Rebel when he got beat a football field with no visable excuse - they said lung infection and he was back training right away.

Secretariat ran a Ragozin of 12 in the Wood Memorial - he ran a Ragozin of just 11 in his 3yo comeback race. He went from being 2yo Horse of the Year to six months later - having the Churchill racing Sec. assign Sham highweight over him in the Ky Derby Mythical Handicap weight assignments.... an impossible fall from grace - with a magical form turnaround coming from taking care of a tooth abcess.

How can anyone put Uncle Mo 3rd or 4th on their exotic tickets? How can anyone playing exotics not use him in the win slot?

Sounds like he has to step up the use of the 150$ gastoguard tube

I don't know if he did and Life At Ten was owned by different owners who may have requested that nothing be said until after further review and investigation.

My understanding is that in Japan or Hong Kong you are given way more information about horses (weight, vet visits etc.) and I am all for that, but it will never happen as the expense and monumental task of figuring out how to take that on is just too great. Besides the fact that there would probably be a giant overreaction by people who don't understand some of the basic things that are done to keep horses comfortable.

I don't know why Pletcher takes a strong stand against informing what is going on with horses in his barn. Perhaps that would be a good question for someone to ask the next time they sit him down for an interview? Repole is working hard to market a product and whether you agree/support or whatever, it is something this industry badly needs since most of the decision makers in this industry are too busy shooting themselves in the foot. It is very hard to market a horse because anything can happen and I think him and/or Pletcher deciding to offer explaination is a good thing. I joke about Mo's facebook page all of the time, but I also thought it was pretty stand-up for Repole to post within hours of Mo's loss in the Wood. The best laid plans don't always see fruitation and it is not easy to admit that.

I don't have anything against Repole, I actually like him and would like to see Uncle Mo do well.
Like I said before, I think this release was all his idea and Pletcher and no choice but to comply to what the owner here wanted to do.

Well what would u rather have them say? Everyone now knows the reason why Mo can't get 1 1/8 is because he has a infection. It ain't because he just can't run that far;)


Once they clear it up 1 1/4 will be no problem right Repole?:confused:

The sport has so few good horses that when what might be a good horse scraps he knee we all feel we deserve the information on how he did it when it will heal etc etc. To steal a term from a dear friend..How boorish..

How far he wants to go not withstanding, to be fair, he looked like an under the weather horse Saturday. His coat was dull and lifeless.

Horses race about six times a year now ... and the press covering racing is about 50 times larger than it once was.

Some of the stuff they'd print in the old days was great ...

"I've kissed the farm goodbye. Coulter has discharged me as a trainer" "Coulter's a worse trainer than I am. I'm bad, too" "Everything I have - except old Bramble - is for sale. There's no price on Bramble"

Honestly, If this story is indeed true (and I'm still not sure yet), then I don't think he really ran that poorly.

Everything will be forgiven in two weeks when the dapples appear. Of course, the double-secret surgery conspiracy theorists will still toe the party line, but they will be dismissed as fringe players. Who will be the first to announce the dapples: Haskin, or Uncle Mo on his facebook page?