Unbridled Mo kept her perfect record at the Jersey Shore alive and earned a hard-fought win in her first graded stakes try in Saturday's GIII Monmouth Oaks.
A non-factor seventh on debut going seven panels at Gulfstream Apr. 24, Unbridled Mo shipped north to join her trainer's local string and captured a maiden test May 29 and an allowance race going an extended mile July 3. Coming into this race off a steady series of works during a 48-day freshening, the bay was asked to apply some moderate pressure on pace-setting Tejana through fractions of :24.06 and :47.92. Turning up the heat under steady encouragement from Paco Lopez on the far turn, she entered the lane under a drive between horses as Mo d'Amour joined the fray to her outside. Unbridled Mo continued to grind away at the pacesetter and stuck her neck in front in the dying strides, holding Mo d'Amour at bay to her outside. Tejana held second, and Mo d'Amour settled for third.
“I told Paco in the paddock how great she's doing,” said Anthony Sciametta Jr., assistant to winning trainer Todd Pletcher. “I was surprised to see her so close early, but they weren't going too fast and no one was really pressing the leader. She had to grind out the win today. I was real impressed. She's a very solid filly.”
Pedigree Notes: The homebred winner is a half to Unbridled Essence (Essence of Dubai), GSW, $324,957–herself the dam of 'TDN Rising Star' and GSP Unbridled Daddy (Scat Daddy). Unbridled Mo's dam, Unbridled Waters, is a half to GSW & GISP Big Booster (Accelerator).
Saturday, Monmouth Park
MONMOUTH OAKS-GIII, $101,000, MTH, 8-20, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:44.35, ft.
1–#@UNBRIDLED MO, 116, f, 3, by Uncle Mo
1st Dam: Unbridled Waters, by Unbridled
2nd Dam: Waterside, by Topsider
3rd Dam: Talk Out, by Tobin Bronze
O-Red Oak Stable (Brunetti); B-Red Oak Stable (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher; J-Paco Lopez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0,
$103,680. *18th stakes winner for second-crop sire (by Indian
Charlie). **1/2 to Unbridled Essence (Essence of Dubai), GSW,
$324,957. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”equix-optimatch”]2–Tejana, 120, f, 3, Curlin">Curlin–Tia, by Giant's Causeway. O/B-Emory
A. Hamilton (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $20,000.
3–Mo d'Amour, 123, f, 3, Uncle Mo–Neverthesame, by Scat
Daddy. ($22,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP; $75,000 2yo '15 OBSMAR).
O-King of Prussia Stable; B-Doug & Felicia Branham (KY);
T-Todd A. Pletcher. $10,000.
Margins: NK, 3/4, 7 3/4. Odds: 2.40, 1.70, 1.90.[bullet ad=”gayle-woods-trained-at”][bullet ad=”legacy-sales-graduate”][bullet ad=”woodsideranch-grad”]Also Ran: A Place to Shine, Downdraft, Mo' Green. Scratched: Hi Holiday. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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