2011 Breeders Cup Draw: Uncle Mo's Slow Work Doesn't Mean Anything

You look at the workout times in the Triple Crown races this year and they dictate little.

Midnight Interlude ran fast times before the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and fell well behind the pack in the actual race.

The winners were a combination of good workout times and mediocre ones.

That's why Breeders' Cup favorite Uncle Mo's slow work on Sunday means nothing.

Keep in mind, there was little reason to push Uncle Mo before Saturday's comeback race. He's coming off a gastrointestinal infection and a rare liver disease.

But the critics were already harping after Uncle Mo's five-furlong time of 1:01 2/5 and six-furlong time of 1:14 2/5.

The clocker pinched his nostrils between his thumb and forefinger. Daily Racing Form's Mike Welsch called the work "mediocre." TVG commentators Tom Amoss, Simon Bray and Donna Brothers gave Uncle Mo's grades of C, C+ and B-, respectively.

But prognosticating how a thoroughbred will do after one workout is futile. Yes, good workouts are encouraging. But everyone trains differently and the fact of the matter is jockeys conduct workouts how they see fit, based on examining horses' tendencies and how they want to approach a race.

Said jockey John Velasquez after the workout, via the New York Post:

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"I think the work went very well, just the way we wanted. It was a steady work with a nice gallop out. Very good."

"

Said trainer Todd Pletcher:

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"He went nice and steady and had an excellent gallop out. We have him coming into the race as well as he can be, and there isn't a horse on the grounds that looks as good as he does."

"

Notice the word "steady." Sure, both men have an obligation to follow the company line, but it's also very possible that they wanted to ease Uncle Mo into his first race in six months.

Before we start condemning Uncle Mo, maybe we should look at the approach surrounding him, not his final workout time.

Workout grades mean nothing.

A horse is ultimately judged on his race time.