Reddam Looks to Stay Hot with Gomo

J. Paul Reddam, who has been on a remarkable run with juveniles this season, led by Grade I winners Nyquist (Uncle Mo) and Ralis (Square Eddie), looks to keep the streak alive when Gomo (Uncle Mo) goes postward in Friday’s GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland. A front-running 5 1/4-length maiden winner over the Santa Anita turf in June, Gomo was second behind Pretty N Cool (Scat Daddy) in the GII Sorrento S. over the main track at Del Mar before moving back to the lawn to finish third in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf last time out.

“We have always felt she would be better going long on the dirt,” said Jack Sisterson, assistant to trainer Doug O’Neill. “Her first race, she was inside and pressured all the way. The reason she ran on the grass the next time was because at that time of year, Santa Anita does not write any two-turn races on dirt for 2-year-olds.”

Gomo returns to the dirt for the Alcibiades, a Win and You’re In event for the Oct. 31 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Sisterson admitted race selection for Gomo was less a surface choice and more an attempt to keep the filly separated from stablemate Land Over Sea (Bellamy Road), who was second in last week’s GI Chandelier S. and third in the GI Del Mar Debutante.

“It wasn’t a question of whether she was better on dirt or grass,” Sisterson explained. “Mr. Reddam also had Land Over Sea for the [GI] Del Mar Debutante and also last week’s [GI] Chandelier and he didn’t want to run both in the same race. She trains well on the dirt and had a good work before we left.”

Gomo worked five furlongs at Santa Anita last Friday in 1:00.60.

The unbeaten Nyquist won the Sept. 7 GI Del Mar Futurity in Reddam’s colors, just hours after Ralis had captured the GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga. The unbeaten Nyquist added the GI FrontRunner S. last Saturday.