Lewis Bay Goes for 'Mo' in Comely

Following her easy victory over older fillies and mares in the GIII Turnback the Alarm H. at Belmont Park Oct. 29, Saturday's age-restricted GIII Comely S. would appear to be easy pickings for Alpha Delta Stables' Lewis Bay (Bernardini). But the seven-strong field also features a pair of fillies by the all-conquering Uncle Mo from the Todd Pletcher barn that figure to make Lewis Bay work for it.

A year ago this weekend, the well-related homebred was winning her two-turn debut in the GII Demoiselle S. and she has put together another successful season at three. The bay was the easy winner of the GII Gazelle S. over this track and distance and was third in the GI Kentucky Oaks and second in the GI Mother Goose S. Her Turnback the Alarm score followed a fourth in the GI Test S. in which she raced surprisingly close to the wicked pace before emptying out in the final stages.

“She ran very well in her last race,” said trainer Chad Brown. “She showed a new dimension going to the lead, but she's always been a pretty versatile horse and she's been consistent all year. We're looking forward to seeing how she can run off last effort on Saturday.”

Brown also saddles Waterford Stable's Going for Broke (Blame), who earned Grade I black-type with a distant runner-up effort to 'TDN Rising Star' Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GI Alabama S. back in August.

Unbridled Mo (Uncle Mo) has very quietly won four of her five trips to the post to date, running the table in three starts at Monmouth Park over the summer, including a neck success in the GIII Monmouth Oaks. She took a trip out of town for the Remington Park Oaks Sept. 25 and swept home late at 4-1, defeating subsequent big-figure Zia Park Oaks romper Family Tree (Smart Strike) into third.

The latter's stablemate Mo d'Amour (Uncle Mo) finished fourth in the Mother Goose and in the GI CCA Oaks, both at longshot odds, but improved with class relief to finish third to Unbridled Mo in the Monmouth Oaks last time out.