Silence Can be a Virtue
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Every single year there is an owner or a trainer that just
can’t help but trash talk the competition and this year it is Robert LaPenta.
In an interview this morning LaPenta made it quite clear how bitter he is over
the lack of respect Dialed In has received compared to the heaps that,
apparently, Uncle Mo has been receiving. In case LaPenta hasn’t noticed his
colt has quite a few followers who believe the colt will circle the field to
take the Kentucky Derby by storm. In case he hasn’t noticed, Uncle Mo has lost
plenty of his followers since his 3rd place finish in the Juvenile,
even though he was battling a GI infection that day.
I understand wanting more respect for your horse but bad mouthing the competition is not the way to get it. In fact, it makes you look even worse. LaPenta was quoted comparing his champion 2yr old champion War Pass to Uncle Mo, saying that War Pass was more accomplished when he began on the Derby trail, yet people called his colt a one dimensional speedster who would not get the distance. Mr. LaPenta, War Pass ran over a very speed favoring track in his Breeders Cup Juvenile in 1.42.76. Uncle Mo ran over a very deep and tiring Churchill Downs main track, rating off the lead, something War Pass never succeeded at, and ran a final time of 1.42.6. Notice that even Rachel Alexandra and Unrivaled Belle ran slower earlier that year for the same distance. In the Champagne Uncle Mo nearly broke the track record, while War Pass came home nearly two whole seconds slower. As a 3yr old War Pass ran LAST in his first prep, and second in the Wood Memorial. The winning time in his running of the Wood was nearly two seconds slower again.
LaPenta, in the same quote, then notes Uncle Mo’s breeding. If he wants to bring up breeding why not bring up War Pass again? He had a sire who was even more sprint oriented than Indian Charlie, Uncle Mo’s sire. Cherokee Run never won anything past 9 furlongs and never placed in anything over 9.5 furlongs. Even in the Preakness the time was a slow 1.56.6 that year. Indian Charlie dominated the Santa Anita Derby and ran third in the Kentucky Derby. He sired Fleet Indian, who won at 10 furlongs as a 4yr old. On the bottom of Uncle Mo’s pedigree is Arch, who is the sire of Archarcharch and Blame, who won last year’s Breeder’s Cup Classic. Arch also carries the line of Kris S. who was in the pedigrees of Rock Hard Ten and Zenyatta. Look a little farther back and you’ll find Princquillo, who gave Secretariat his stamina.
LaPenta is also quoted saying that there are double standards in regards to Uncle Mo’s work, stating that had that been Dialed In, his colt would’ve gotten trashed. Mr. LaPenta seems to not realize that Churchill Downs can be a very sticky track when wet, and that most people were expecting average to slower clockings. He notes that people rave over the Timely Writer yet trashed Dialed in for losing to older horse. That allowance race was against nondescript older males who nobody had ever heard of, and even in knowing that, plenty of people still backed the colt, saying it was just a prep and a learning race. When Uncle Mo ran in the Timely Writer he ran a final quarter of 22 4/5. I would love to see what other 3yr old ran that fast of a final quarter in any of their preps this year.
Are these comments horrible? No, maybe childish, however it is not these that really grated on my nerves. It was LaPenta coming just short of accusing Pletcher and Repole of running an unsound colt. “I’ve been a little concerned about Uncle Mo. I felt there was something a little amiss in the way he was training for some reason. No one would document it, but he didn’t seem the same horse at three as he was at two.” Has he been there watching Uncle Mo every single morning? Is he conversing on a regular basis with Pletcher or Repole? Where do assumptions that something is amiss come from? LaPenta should remember the good old saying “assuming makes an ass out of you and me,” and if the assumptions are unfounded it makes the one making them look even worse.
If LaPenta wants respect for his horse then rave about him, talk him up, be proud. That is all fine and well. However, it becomes a whole new ballgame when you start trying to talk down the competition to try and gain respect. It shows just how desperate for attention a person really is. It shows weakness, not strength, and that is not something the industry needs.
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