Uncle Mo tops five rivals in Timely Writer

Uncle Mo’s last race came as a tour de force in the BC Juvenile (©Breeders’ Cup Ltd.) Undefeated champion UNCLE MO (Indian Charlie) will make his highly anticipated three-year-old debut on Saturday against only five rivals in the $100,000 Timely Writer S., a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park. Originally scheduled to return in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2), the colt’s connections — owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher — changed course in February and began building up a Timely Writer bid instead. “The Gulfstream Park surface is very similar to the surface that Mo’s training on every day at Palm Meadows,” Pletcher explained in late February. “There’s also the advantage of a 20-minute van ride to Gulfstream as opposed to a four-hour ride to Tampa Bay.” Uncle Mo has been entered in both races on Saturday, but is almost assured to line up against the likes of Sapling S. (G3) winner MADMAN DIARIES (Bring the Heat) at Gulfstream. The bay is the class of the field, breaking his maiden by 14 1/4 lengths, capturing the Champagne S. (G1) by 4 3/4 lengths and running away with the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) by 4 1/4 lengths in his three lifetime starts. He’s earned nothing but triple-digit BRIS Speed and Late Pace ratings during that time, and should have an easy time in taking his seasonal bow from the rail post under John Velazquez.

Madman Diaries is the only other runner in the field with prior stakes
experience. The Wesley Ward charge broke his maiden then triumphed in the
Victoria S., both at Woodbine, by a combined 19 lengths last year. He followed
that with a runner-up performance in the Colin S., but returned to the winner’s
circle when trying dirt for the first time in the Sapling at Monmouth
Park.

Fourth when making his turf debut in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G2) in
November, Madman Diaries had no run in the February 26 Hutcheson S. (G2) over
the track to finish seventh, but could move forward in his second start
following the layoff. Regular rider Jeffrey Sanchez has the call.

The rest of the Timely Writer field is made up of maiden and allowance
winners. RATTLESNAKE BRIDGE (Tapit) turned heads with a nice maiden win at
Gulfstream on February 12, while ROCKING OUT (Include) finished third in his
first start of the year against allowance rivals one day later. GALLANT DREAMS
(Bernardini) posted his first win when last seen going 1 1/16 miles at Belmont Park in
October, and SCHOOLYARD CAT (Catienus) is returning here off a
nine-day break after being well beaten in his past two on turf.

A pair of graded events share Saturday’s card with the Timely Writer, and
another Breeders’ Cup winner in the form of Juvenile Turf hero PLUCK (More Than
Ready) is also taking the Gulfstream/Tampa Bay Downs route. Entered in both the
7TH race at Tampa Bay and the nine-furlong
Palm
Beach S. (G3) over Gulfstream’s turf on Saturday, the dark bay colt would
have faced off against nine rivals if his connections had opted for the latter
race, but is expected to go in the Tampa Bay Downs event.

“I am sure that this will look funny to some people,” said Graham Motion, who
has taken over the training of Pluck from Pletcher. “Here we are, the favorite
for a Grade 3 at Gulfstream, running instead in a lowly allowance race at Tampa,
but I think this is the right race for Pluck to start off in. He should prefer
the more lush Tampa turf over the harder surface at Gulfstream Park and he
definitely will enjoy the mile rather than the mile and an eighth.”

That leaves MASTER DUNKER (Imperialism) as the top draw in the $150,000 Palm Beach.
Second by a head in the Hallandale Beach S. last
out before being placed first via disqualification, the David Fawkes pupil also
ran third in the Dania Beach S. to start the year. He’ll keep Luis Saez, aboard
for both of those races, in the saddle on Saturday.

A fourth in the Hal’s Hope is all that separates Tackleberry (inside) from a seven-race win streak (Jim Lisa Photos) The final stakes on the card, the $300,000 Gulfstream Park H. (G2) at a mile, drew a contentious field of eight, and RULE (Roman Ruler), TACKLEBERRY (Montbrook), DUKE OF MISCHIEF (Graeme Hall) and SOARING EMPIRE (Empire Maker) have been knocking heads in their past few races. Soaring Empire held Rule off by 1 1/4 lengths in the Hal’s Hope S. (G3) on January 8, but was no match for Tackleberry when second to that rival in the Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship (G2) on February 12. Tackleberry ran fourth in the Hal’s Hope, but has been unbeatable since while taking the Sunshine Millions Classic in addition to the Sprint Championship. Second in the Sunshine Millions Classic was Duke of Mischief, and Rule returned in his next race to finish third in the Donn H. (G1). Also entered in the Gulfstream Park ‘Cap is multiple Grade 1-placed stakes winner JACKSON BEND (Hear No Evil), who has been unable to find the winner’s circle since taking the In Reality division of the Florida Stallion S. series in 2009. The chestnut did place in the Preakness S. (G1) and Wood Memorial S. (G1) last season for trainer Nick Zito, but will make his four-year-old bow back under the tutelage of trainer Stanley Gold, who campaigned him to a successful juvenile campaign.

TIZWAY (Tiznow), a five-length winner of the Kelso H. (G2) last year, is also
making his seasonal debut in this spot following a fifth-place run in the
Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1).