Mo Town rolls in Remsen
November 26th, 2016
John Velazquez had the mount on the bay colt, who posted his second straight convincing win after breaking his maiden in a one-mile maiden race at Belmont Park on September 24.
Takaful showed high speed after a slightly tardy beginning, sprinting clear to lead by 4 ½ lengths after an opening quarter-mile in :23.47. Mo Town was fourth rounding the first turn but accelerated forward entering the backstretch to be only a length behind in second after a half-mile in :48.84. He continued to track the 4-5 pacesetter through the far turn, edging closer after three-quarters in 1:14.02.
Velazquez asked for run turning for home and Mo Town seized control, reaching the eighth pole with a 1 ½-length advantage. No Dozing offered a solid rally to be a clear second but was never a serious threat to the winner, who cruised to the wire as much the best.
Mo Town finished 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.58 on the fast track.
No Dozing, the 4-1 third choice, wound up 3 ½ lengths better than Takaful, who saved third by a head over 40-1 outsider Win With Pride.
Bred in Kentucky by John D. Gunther & Eurowest Bloodstock, Mo Town was purchased for $200,000 at the Keeneland September yearling purchase by the Coolmore connections of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith. He’s out the Bernardini mare Grazie Millie, a daughter of Grade 3-winning sprinter and Humana Distaff (G1) runner-up Molto Vita.
Second when making his debut in a 6-furlong Saratoga maiden special weight, Mo Town is now 2-for-3 with $243,600 in earnings.
Remsen Quotes:
MO TOWN trainer TONY DUTROW, who earned his first Remsen win:
"Going back to March, we always felt this was a good horse. Being around him, knowing all we do about how he went into each of his races, I felt strongly that he would run big today. For him to prove this much, I feel great. I wanted the horse fresh and happy going into his 3-year-old year. I didn't use this horse. I didn't pressure this horse in getting him ready for today. I feel strongly that we have not seen what this horse is capable of yet.
"He's going to go Payson [Park Training Center] and he'll have a very light December; next to nothing. I'll talk to the [owners] about what they are thinking, but if I owned the whole horse, I'd bring him up here for the Gotham [in March]. I'll talk to them about that and see how they feel.”
MO TOWN jockey JOHN VELAZQUEZ, who notched his fourth Remsen victory:
"He was very good. He got carried wide into the first turn and after that I had to do the dirty job with the horse in front. After that, he did everything well. Hopefully, he can come back better as a three-year-old."
TAKAFUL trainer Kiaran McLaughlin:
"The break didn't help us and it looked like he was pretty keen the first eighth [of a mile] after the break, but he dug in and held on for third. It was a big step up from 6 ½ [furlongs] to a mile and an eighth. We'll regroup and probably head south from here."
TAKAFUL jockey Jose Ortiz:
"When my horse broke, he didn't stumble but he was bit slow today. As soon as he broke, he ran. He wanted to go the first three-sixteenths, the first quarter-mile, until I got him relaxed. Finally, on the backside, I did get him to relax. He tired a little bit but, I mean, he's a great horse. He came from 6 ½ to a mile and an eighth in a short period. You've got to give a lot of credit to Kiaran because he was able to do it.
"He was rank a bit in the beginning and I wish he would've relaxed better, but he was coming from 21, 44 [seconds, for the first quarter- and half-mile fractions], so I knew he was going to be a little keen but we get to move forward," he added. "I think he will get it, he will relax better next time. He just needs some time to learn. He's a bit green but he's a runner, for sure."
(Adam Coglianese Photography)
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