For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kelly Wietsma
914-261-6379 equisponse@aol.com
Two-Year-Old Champion Uncle Mo
Ships to Winstar Farm to Continue Treatment
May 9, 2011 - Louisville, KY – The connections of two-year-old champion Uncle Mo announced today that the colt left Churchill Downs for Winstar Farm earlier this morning for continued treatment.
"It makes sense to keep him in the Lexington area, where he will have access to the best veterinary facilities," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "Winstar Farm has a beautiful training facility which includes a hyperbaric chamber and a first class staff. Our focus is to figure out what is going on internally with him and get him back to 100 percent. When we do figure this out, the horse is already fit so we don't think it will take him long to get back to his two-year old form."
The colt was diagnosed with a GI tract infection following his third-place finish in the Wood Memorial.
Although the colt remained in training with the blessings of his veterinary team, last Friday the connections decided to withdraw him from consideration for the 2011 Kentucky Derby due to concerns over his well-being and because they did not want to run the horse if he was not 100 percent.
"The number one goal is to get Uncle Mo healthy and I feel very confident with Elliott Walden (Winstar President/CEO) and his team," said owner Mike Repole. Todd trains many of Winstar's horses and he and Elliott speak on a regular basis. Our second, distant goal when Uncle Mo gets back to the races is for him to be named three-year-old champion and Horse of the Year."
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