Uncle Mo arrives at Belmont Park

Last updated: 4/6/11 2:27 PM

Pletcher watches as Uncle Mo is unloaded at Belmont Park
(NYRA/Coglianese Photography>

Mike Repole’s undefeated champion colt Uncle Mo arrived Wednesday morning at Belmont Park in advance of a planned start
in Saturday’s 87th renewal of the $1 million, Grade 1 Wood Memorial at
Aqueduct.

Expected on Tuesday, Uncle Mo’s flight out of Florida was delayed and
eventually canceled due to unsettled weather in New York. Rescheduled
for Wednesday, the flight left Palm Beach International at approximately
7:15 a.m. (EDT) and touched down at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New
York, just before 9:45 a.m. Vanned to Belmont from the airport, Uncle Mo
arrived in trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn shortly after 11:20 a.m.

“He seemed to ship in really well and everything went smoothly,”
Pletcher said. “I’m glad we waited a day and let the weather clear up.
I’d rather have a three hour flight today where everything went
perfectly than delays and a turbulent flight yesterday.

“He’ll just have
some routine gallops here at Belmont on Thursday and Friday and then
ship over to Aqueduct the day of the race.”

Uncle Mo had a sensational juvenile campaign, including a 14 1/4-length score
in his debut at Saratoga, followed by dominant victories in the
Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont and the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at
Churchill Downs, earning him Eclipse Award honors as 2010’s champion
two-year-old male.

Easy winner of the Timely Writer at Gulfstream Park last
month, the Wood Memorial will be the bay colt’s second start of 2011 and his
final race before the Grade 1 Kentucky
Derby on May. Uncle Mo was favored at 3-1 in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool that
closed Sunday evening.

To watch video of the colt’s arrival, please click
here.