PA Derby on Uncle Mo's radar

By: SPORTS NETWORK

 

Bensalem, PA (Sports Network) - When the purse for the Pennsylvania Derby was increased to $1 million four years ago the idea was to entice the leading three-year-olds to Parx Racing, maybe even a winner of one of the Triple Crown races.

The added money along with the move to late September has yet to bring the very best three-year-olds to the suburban Philadelphia track. Some good horses have appeared such as 2008 winner Anak Nakal and last year's champ Morning Line.

Now there is a real possibility that an Eclipse Award winner might start in the PA Derby. Mike Repole mentioned during Wednesday's Travers press conference that 2010 champion colt Uncle Mo has a distinct chance of going in the 1 1/8-mile race.

"If he wins the King's Bishop, and then we go either Jockey Club Gold Cup or Pennsylvania Derby," Repole noted, "and there's a lot of ifs, and then we go Breeders' Cup Mile or Classic, and he just happens to be lucky and sweep that, then that's a pretty impressive resume."

The early years of the PA Derby saw some really top notch three-year-olds run. In 1980 Temperence Hill was the defeated favorite, but then captured the Belmont Stakes. The following year Summing pulled off the PA Derby-Belmont double. In 1986 Broad Brush easily won under the great Angel Cordero Jr. after bolting to the outside entering the stretch.