Travers Stakes (gr. I) winner Stay Thirsty and last year’s 2-year-old male champion Uncle Mo both worked five furlongs Sept. 18 for trainer Todd Pletcher. Mike Repole’s dynamic duo were both sent out over Belmont Park’s main dirt track.
Stay Thirsty, a son of Bernardini , was timed in 1:01.75 breezing, the 15th best time of the day of 29 workers at five panels, while Uncle Mo was clocked in a zippy :59.44, good for fourth best.
“I thought both horses worked exceptionally well,” said Pletcher. “Uncle Mo is obviously a brilliant horse that’s capable of doing fast things very easily and that’s kind of what we’ve come to expect in his breezes. Stay Thirsty may be a little less ambitious work horse, but he’s very consistent the way he was breezing leading up to the Jim Dandy and the Travers. He finds a good rhythm and just keeps going.”
Out of the Storm Bird mare Marozia, Stay Thirsty has moved to the head of the 3-year-old male division with his recent victories at Saratoga in the Travers and Jim Dandy Stakes (gr. II). His previous move came Sept. 11, getting four furlongs in :50.60 at Saratoga. He is being pointed to the Oct. 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) Oct. 1 at Belmont Park.
Uncle Mo, who made a great return to the races when running second to Caleb’s Posse in the Aug. 27 King’s Bishop Stakes (gr. I) at seven furlongs, had also worked for Pletcher Sept. 11, getting four furlongs in :48.30. The son of Indian Charlie, out of the Arch mare Playa Maya, was away from racing from April to late August after it was discovered he was suffering from a liver ailment.
