Uncle Mo Retires from Racing
Sired by Indian Charlie out of Playa Maya, Uncle Mo was foaled in Kentucky on 10 March 2008, going on to compete undefeated in his two-year-old season in 2010. This spirited American champion thoroughbred racehorse gathered quite a following during his relatively short career, and many were saddened by the news that Uncle Mo is to retire from horse racing. The decision was made when blood tests revealed an elevated count of the enzyme gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) – a condition which is likely to escalate with the rigors of training and racing. While this is not a recurrence of the liver disease that plagued Uncle Mo earlier this year, causing him to miss out on the Triple Crown series, it nevertheless puts him at risk of ill health and liver damage, so his retirement is deemed to be in his best interests.
Uncle Mo had raced to victory in five of his eight career starts and bagged US$1,606,000 in earnings. Uncle Mo’s debut race at Saratoga on 28 August 2010, saw the colt thundering along the turf to complete six furlongs in 1:09.21 and beating the runner-up by 14 ¼ lengths. He went on to win the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Racetrack with a final time of 1:34.51, equaling Seattle Slew’s record and clocking up the second fastest result in the 61 one-mile Champagne history. Proving his wins were no flash-in-the-pan, Uncle Mo took first place in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs with a 4 1/4 lead.
With the liver being one of the organs that is able to regenerate itself, under proper care Uncle Mo can remain in good health. Moreover, the fact that his condition is non-hereditary opens up opportunities for him to pass on his excellent speed capabilities, agreeable disposition and superb conformation to his offspring. Faced with the reality that Uncle Mo will no longer be winning lucrative races, his owner Mike Repole was reported as saying that he considered himself lucky to own a horse like Uncle Mo. Revealing the close relationship between horse and owner, Repole said: “He’s probably given me more thrills visiting him on a Sunday morning than he has when he raced. Uncle Mo will always be part of my life.”
