The 2011 Kentucky Derby promises to be one of the most wide open events in years. Without a truly dominant horse in sight, this year's race at Churchill Downs figures to be a handicapper's nightmare to predict.
In recent weeks, the closest thing we've had to a favorite is Dialed In, the only Derby contestant to actually look sharp in recent weeks. But now, an old contender for favorite status seems to have returned, in the form of Uncle Mo.
Mo is the closest thing this Derby has to a truly dominant horse. He's been hyped for over a year as a potential Derby winner and then some since winning the Breeder's Cup Juvenile last year at this very track, but a poor showing at the Wood Memorial cast his status as race favorite (and potentially his status in the Derby at all) into serious doubt.
But, according to trainer Todd Pletcher, Uncle Mo is back in tip top shape. He told reporters earlier this week that the 3-year-old colt has been working out extremely well in recent days.
"So far we've had a really good three weeks," Pletcher said. "We've gotten the two most important pieces of work in. Both of them went very well. I thought today's was even stronger than last week's."
Do those workouts make Uncle Mo the favorite once again? The fact of the matter is, as long as he's healthy, Uncle Mo deserves to be the favorite in this race. He was suffering from a gastrointestinal infection during the Wood Memorial, an ailment that no longer appears to be plaguing him.
With Uncle Mo healthy, the Derby has its dominant horse. He showed everyone what he can do at Churchill Downs last year, and Wood Memorial or not, I'd be stunned if he was anything worse than a close second favorite to Dialed In on race day.
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