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Pletcher encouraged by Uncle Mo's progress While Repole Stable's Stay Thirsty (Bernardini) got down to business with a recorded work on Easter Sunday, his champion stablemate UNCLE MO (Indian Charlie) galloped early on the rainy morning at Churchill Downs. The Todd Pletcher trainee was a heavy favorite for the Kentucky Derby (G1) until his third-place finish to Toby's Corner (Bellamy Road) in the $1 million Wood Memorial (G1) at Aqueduct. Uncle Mo was found to be suffering from a gastrointestinal infection after the race and has been treated with antibiotics since that discovery. Repole's colt is scheduled to work on Tuesday -- his first major training move since his return to Churchill Downs last week. "I think he's really responding well to treatment -- his last 48 hours in particular," Pletcher said. "His appetite is the best it's been since the Wood, and I'm feeling really good about the direction we're heading. Like I said when we got here, we need to have a really good 19 days and, so far, we've had a really good five here. We need to have 13 more, but we're really, really pleased with the progress we're making at the moment." Jockey John Velazquez will fly to Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday and will be in the saddle for Uncle Mo's work, which is scheduled at approximately 8:30 a.m. (EDT) during the training period for Derby and Kentucky Oaks (G1) hopefuls. Pletcher said Uncle Mo would work five furlongs in company with his Repole-owned stablemate Calibrachoa (Southern Image), the four-year-old winner of the Tom Fool (G3) at Aqueduct on March 5. Calibrachoa is scheduled to run in the Churchill Downs S. (G2) at seven furlongs on Kentucky Derby Day. "We're looking for a good, solid work," Pletcher said. "We'll be looking for a similar work to what we got from Stay Thirsty today. "One of the good things about what he has is that we haven't had to miss those daily gallops. Normally, I maybe would have worked him today, but I decided to give him a couple of more days just to continue to let the medication kick in. With the results we're seeing, it's working, so we'll go on Tuesday and hopefully build off that. We haven't had to adjust his training much at all." Pletcher's annual spring visit to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby is different this year as the five-time Eclipse Award winner as America's top trainer has arrived as the defending winner of America's greatest race. It was pointed out by a reporter that he no longer has to answer the question about when he would grab that elusive Kentucky Derby victory, a query that elicited a broad smile from Pletcher. "Winning the Derby is awesome -- it's great," said Pletcher, who earned his first Derby trophy last year with Super Saver. "It doesn't change your life in a lot of ways. The feed man still wants to get paid, your wife still thinks you work too much and if you get beat in the Wood Memorial, everybody wants to know why. "I don't have to answer that specific question, but a lot of the other ones are still there." In other Kentucky Derby news:
Just for Fun Stable's DECISIVE MOMENT (With Distinction), runner-up in the Spiral S. (G3) in his latest, is scheduled to work Thursday. Trainer Peter Miller plans to work Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Kevin Tsujihara's COMMA TO THE TOP (Bwana Charlie) at Hollywood Park Monday. Patrick Valenzuela will pick up the Derby mount on the honest gelding, who was just denied by Midnight Interlude in the Santa Anita Derby.
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