Uncle Mo Surgery Conspiracy

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by Linny

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.

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