Uncle Mo Scratched from Derby?

I've said over and over again that Todd Pletcher wouldn't run the colt unless Uncle Mo was 110% of the colt we saw in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. And I've said since Uncle Mo arrived at Churchill Downs that unless his works were absolutely brilliant, they'd scratch him.

This is no surprise, at least to me. The surprise was they waited as long as they did to make the decision. When Uncle Mo worked 5F in 1:01.80 at Churchill Downs on 04/26 and that was just the 11th best time of the 26 horses on the work tab at that distance that day, I thought they'd announce his scratch. And then when he worked 1:01.60 on the 1st and that was just 8th best of 20, I knew they were going to scratch him and I hoped they'd do it before the post position draw so someone else could get into the field. Pletcher had said all along that he wanted to see brilliance in the colt's works at Churchill or he wouldn't start the colt, and those works weren't brilliant. They were ordinary.

So now they're going to re-group and see if they can figure out why Uncle Mo isn't the colt he was last year. They'll most likely be sending him to a clinic for tests, and I think it's very likely we've seen the last of him for this year.

There's a chance that he'll come back next year, because the stallion market is still depressed, so there's some financial incentive to keep him in training and bring him back if they can find the problem. But I think he's done for the year.

Sad, but not unexpected. Pletcher was never going to run the colt if he wasn't absolutely at his brilliant best.

Zero surprise...as the rumors on the backside surrounded Repole entering Uncle Mo to purchase more tickets to entertain guests; and, trust me...it doesn't matter who you are, there is a strict amount owners can purchase. I said it after the Wood and these games over the past three weeks has prevented another owner from having his healthy runner enter the starting gate. And - with the quarter cracks that are being "reported" from the backside - don't be surprised if Uncle Mo is retired before the Saratoga meeting begins.

Stinks, he's a great horse. Very Upset about this, takes a little excitement out of the Derby for me.

So what is the question? I just saw an article about why, mentioning a "puzzling internal ailment", but presumably that was mentioned wherever you got your info.

THE OWNER AND TRAINER KNOWS THIS HORSE HAS A LITTLE CHANCE TO WIN.