Mo Tom 5-2 Favorite for Ohio Derby

There are several reasons GMB Racing’s Mo Tom was installed the 5-2 morning line favorite for the $500,000 Ohio Derby June 25 at JACK Thistledown Racino.

Mo Tom, a son of red-hot sire Uncle Mo  , is the only horse in the cast that competed in this year’s classics. He ran eighth behind champion Nyquist in the May 7 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). He’s a graded stakes winner—one of three in the field—with a victory in the Lecomte Stakes (gr. III) this winter at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

He also performed well, after being checked both times, behind Gun Runner in the Veterans Ford Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) and TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (gr. II). Gun Runner bounced back from the Kentucky Derby last weekend to run within 0.8 of a second of Churchilll Downs’ 1 1/16-mile track record in the Matt Winn Stakes (gr. III).

Mo Tom also gets the services of jockey Javier Castellano, the winner of the Eclipse Award as top rider the last three years.

The Kentucky-bred will break from post 8 in his first non-graded effort since he won last year’s Street Sense Stakes in Louisville.

Richard Ravin and Patricia’s Hope’s Cocked and Loaded won last year’s Iroquois Stakes (gr. III) but has failed to find the winner’s circle since. The bay colt by Colonel John   faded in Churchill’s Pat Day Mile (gr. III) and the Arlington Classic Stakes (gr. IIIT) in his last pair of starts for trainer Larry Rivelli.

The other graded winner in the field is Thatlookonyerface, who took Woodbine’s Marine Stakes (Can-III) on Tapeta May 14. The Kentucky-bred Summer Bird gelding has yet to start on dirt, but both of his wins have come around two turns.

Three exit Belmont Park’s Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) that was run May 14. Peter Pan runner-up Governor Malibu, who is not entered in Saturday's race, flattered the form by running fourth despite encountering trouble in the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (gr. I). Wild About Deb, 5-1 on the morning-line for the Ohio Derby, finished third in the Peter Pan off a maiden win at Santa Anita Park in April. The Eskendereya colt has been training at Churchill for trainer Phil D’Amato.

Treadway Racing Stable’s Adventist, just three-quarters of a length behind Wild About Deb in the Peter Pan, has more bottom to his race record, hence he’s the 3-1 second choice in Ohio Derby. The son of Any Given Saturday finished third in three graded starts in New York prior to the Peter Pan—the Withers (gr. III), Gotham (gr. III), and the Wood Memorial (gr. I).

Fifth-place Peter Pan finisher Decorated Soldier, trained by Todd Pletcher with John Velazquez up, drew the outside post for the Ohio Derby.