Uncle Mo or Brethren for Dialed In?
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Photo:
Bob Mayberger
Zipse’s Kentucky Derby Daily – Day 65
This whole Timely Writer/Tampa Bay Derby thing has me a little befuddled. It seemed simple a month ago. Uncle Mo was heading to Tampa, and Dialed In was going to run in the 9 furlong Timely Writer Stakes at Gulfstream Park as a prep for the Florida Derby. Since I am heading to Tampa Bay Downs for the first time in my life to see the Tampa Bay Derby, I was happy that Mo would be in attendance. Nick Zito was happy to be getting in a pair of two-turn races without leaving South Florida for his horse before heading to Louisville. The best laid plans.
When Gulfstream Park changed the date and the distance of the Timely Writer to March 12 and one mile, it set off a chain reaction of events on the Kentucky Derby trail. For Gulfstream, it did the trick in attracting Uncle Mo away from Tampa Bay Downs. Trainer Todd Pletcher is happy, he gets an easier spot for Mo’s sophomore debut, and he can bring back his nice colt Brethren for the Tampa Bay Derby over the track which he already has won easily. I wish I was seeing Uncle Mo again, but I will be just fine in seeing the track for the first time, and a race that will probably be much more competitive without the specter of Mo. Meanwhile Nick Zito is not as happy ... what will become of Dialed In?
All the Hall of Fame conditioner wants to do is to offer his unbeaten star the best way to prepare to the Derby, but now he is unsure on how to do it. He does not want to ship Dialed In out of the area, and the Timely Writer originally seemed perfect, but now he is hoping for an allowance race to fill. That magic race, a two-turn affair timed with the Florida Derby in mind, seems less and less likely to go. Since the stretch running son of Mineshaft has only two lifetime races, both at one-turn, Zito feels he absolutely needs something for Dialed In before April’s Florida Derby.
If a suitable race does not come up soon, it looks like Dialed In and Zito will be forced to look at the two stakes on March 12. Either would be a compromise for the trainer, but as a fan, either would create a much more interesting race. Dialed In could travel a bit to face Brethren around two-turns in the Tampa Bay Derby, or he could stay at home and faceoff against the champion, Uncle Mo, in the Timely Writer. Sorry to say Nick, but I would like to see one of those two races.
[Will we see a match-up of the Top 2 horses on HRN's 2011 Kentucky Derby Contenders on March 12]
In other Derby doings, I am honored to be part of a passionate group of racing fans who collaborate every few weeks on a Derby Dozen consensus. My friend Steve Munday does a great job of putting it all together. The comments are playful, but the rankings are all business. Here is the latest Derby Dozen …
See the entire Derby Dozen chart here ...
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