Uncle Mo scratched from Kentucky Derby

A somber Pletcher and Repole announced Uncle Mo’s defection from the Derby (Jamie Newell/Horsephotos.com)

Champion UNCLE MO (Indian Charlie) was withdrawn from the Kentucky Derby (G1)
Friday morning, a development that was not altogether unexpected.

Owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher had been indicating that if they
weren’t certain that the colt was 100 percent, they would not race him in the 1
1/4-mile classic.

Uncle Mo has been treated for a gastrointestinal track problem since
shortly after his third-place finish as the stout favorite in the April
9 Wood Memorial (G1), which came as his first career loss. He has
received antibiotics as part of his treatment.

“We took him off his meds the past few days coming up to the race and
he hasn’t done as well since,” Pletcher said. “He’s got one specific enzyme that’s elevated that has everyone baffled, they
can’t identify why.
Generally, without getting too scientific, when this particular enzyme is
elevated there is also something in the bloodwork that would lead them to the
direction toward a liver or a kidney, but this specific case it’s one single
enzyme that’s elevated that doesn’t really lead you anywhere else.

Mike Repole has one Derby entrant left in Stay Thirsty, but is still worried about Uncle Mo (Jamie Newell/Horsephotos.com)

Repole noted that his colt had trained well at the track as recently
as last Sunday, that he continued to do well in his gallops, but that
something still “just was not right” with the three-year-old.

“We had three vets (Dr. Doug Byers, Dr. Steve Allday and Dr. Ken
Reid) go over him (Thursday),” Repole said. “But after they left, Todd
said ‘I don’t want to run this horse.’ The vets didn’t say the horse
couldn’t run; in fact they said he could. But when Todd said he didn’t
want to run, that was pretty much it for me. I know he treats these
horses better than he treats his own health and if he didn’t want it,
then that was that.”

Repole said in his thinking process the three vets had one vote,
Pletcher had another and he was the third. He sided with his trainer and
the decision was made.

Pletcher, who had to scratch the Kentucky Derby favorite in
Eskendereya last year during Derby Week, was obviously downcast at the
latest development with a horse he called “the best I’ve ever trained.”

“I am very, very, very, very disappointed about this,” Pletcher said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a horse as good as Uncle Mo. We’ve had
every resource to try to get this horse right, but we’re not there. I
take this as a personal failure. We just don’t know what’s wrong with
this horse and it scares me. I feel very sorry for Mike. I feel very
sorry for Johnny Velazquez. This is the third year in a row he’s lost
the Derby favorite.”

Uncle Mo will join the ranks of favored Derby candidates forced to scratch the week of the race (Alex Evers/EquiSport Photos)

Pletcher also said that Uncle Mo could not be called officially out
of training, but that they would make no further plans for the colt
“until we get a proper diagnosis.”

Repole, the irrepressible New York businessman who is heavily
invested in the racing game and feels that he’s got the horse of a
lifetime in Uncle Mo, spoke further of his disappointment.

“Todd didn’t like his weight, his energy, his coat,” he said. “We
brought in the best vets you can get and they are baffled. We can’t find
an answer.”

Repole has brought in 95 friends and family from New York for the
Derby and said he was happy to have them with him going through this
hard time.

“We had a wonderful dinner with everyone at a restaurant in town last
night and it was good,” he stated. “Family is important.”

Repole said that Thursday morning at about 10:30 a.m., after the vets
had offered their opinions and he heard from Pletcher, he all but made
the decision to scratch. He said they waited to see some test results,
but that his path then was clear.