'TDN Rising Star' Mo Town (Uncle Mo) breezed five furlongs in a best-of-eight :59.40 over the Belmont Park main track Saturday morning and is set to make his stakes debut in the GII Remsen S. at Aqueduct Nov. 26.
Well-meant when runner-up to Reckling (Dialed In) on Saratoga debut Aug. 27, the $200,000 Keeneland September acquisition handled a rain-affected Belmont main track with aplomb Sept. 24, streaking home a seven-length winner. Mo Town was to have taken the next logical step in the GII Nashua S. at Aqueduct Nov. 4, but was scratched the morning of the race with a strained hind-end muscle. Tony Dutrow, who trains Mo Town for his Team D as well as Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor and Susan Magnier, reports that all is well heading into Aqueduct's 2-year-old feature.
“It was a minor issue, but it was there,” Dutrow said. “And we can see a difference in the horse [now] having addressed that. Looking back, it took a lot of patience to scratch him that day, but we all believed it was the right thing to do, and having done it all, I feel very good that we made that decision.”
NYRA clockers had Mo Town galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 2/5 Saturday.
“Ideally, in a perfect world, I'd have liked to see him go about a minute and gallop out in about [1:13], but the track's been fast,” said Dutrow. “But the horse did it very well within himself. He came back good and scoped good. We've got to be very, very happy with that. I think we're very close to being exactly where we want to be.”
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