Mo Town Set for 3-Year-Old Debut in Risen Star

Mo Town burst onto the racing scene last autumn like The Supremes in 1964, with a stride as smooth as The Temptations and the promise of early Jackson 5. After a mere trio of starts, including a graded stakes victory, the son of burgeoning young sire Uncle Mo   has shown the kind of prowess that would make Berry Gordy proud.

Firmly landing himself prominently on the charts as a serious contender for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), the $200,000 Keeneland September 2015 purchase now looks to make a hit out of his sophomore debut, the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) Feb. 25 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. 

"He's a talented horse," trainer Tony Dutrow said. "He's grown up some since his 2-year-old season, and he looks fantastic now. He's doing very well and we are very happy with him." 

As a juvenile, Mo Town was a valiant runner-up in a late August Saratoga Race Course maiden debut. He then quickly rebounded with a seven-length romp at second asking four weeks later for owner Team D. Showing marked acceleration and professionalism in that effort, he closed in a shade over :24 the final quarter, impressing onlookers—including the powerful Coolmore conglomerate of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, who bought into the Kentucky-bred a week later.

Given two months off before making his stakes debut at Aqueduct Racetrack, the maternal grandson of Bernardini   ascended considerably in both trip and class to the $300,000 Remsen Stakes (G2) at 1 1/8 miles. He relished the additional turn, distance, and competition, finishing full of run as the 2 1/2-length victor under John Velazquez and galloping out extremely well.

ANGST: Mo Town Wins Stakes Debut in Remsen

"He's the kind of horse who has the speed and stamina you like to see," Dutrow said. "When the rider needs him, he has the athleticism to get the distance.

"We really like the Risen Star a lot, as far as a place to get him started. The date of the race is perfect and the Fair Grounds has a good, safe racetrack and one of the best surfaces in the country. It's also a climate that is very similar to what he is used to at Payson Park and the spacing gives us four-to-five weeks to upcoming races."

Spending this winter at the aforementioned training center in Indiantown, Fla., Mo Town has flourished as the apple of an operation that has yet to feature a star 3-year-old male in the classics, although it's not for lack of trying from the 40-time graded stakes-winning conditioner. 

In 2001, Burning Roma was removed from Dutrow's care following a juvenile season that saw the gritty charge take the Futurity (G1) at Belmont Park before finishing fourth behind future champions Macho Uno  , Point Given  , and Street Cry (IRE) in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). In 2010, Winslow Homer looked like one of the top Derby prospects anywhere before a shin injury knocked the grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes winner off the trail. In 2014, The Big Beast  —a behemoth of a horse—was simply too sizable for his own good, getting off to a late start as a developing sophomore, winning the Ketel One King's Bishop (G1) and never getting a chance to race beyond seven panels in his abbreviated nine-race, two-season career. 

Having already developed such top sophomore fillies as Havre de Grace, Seattle Smooth, Cat Moves, Grace Hall, and Embellish the Lace, it seems circumstance is the only thing standing in Dutrow's way of doing the same with the boys—especially considering the 58-year-old's 25% career strike rate. Mo Town seems to give the Maryland native nearly tangible confidence, but Dutrow falls short of making plans beyond Feb. 25. 

"This race will give us the information we need to make the decisions for his next race," he said. "Obviously going back to Aqueduct for the Wood Memorial (G2) is a possibility, but so is the Blue Grass (G2). First we'll start with the Risen Star." 

Mo Town put the finishing touches on his preparation with another bullet five-furlong workout the morning of Feb. 17. Timed in 1:01 2/5, his drill was the fastest of seven and a full second quicker than his bullet 17 days and two works prior. Co-bred by John Gunther, who also bred grade 1 winners Stay Thirsty   and First Samurai  , the long-striding colt seems poised to substantiate his capable conditioner's 21% off-the-bench rate.

"His work was excellent and everything looks good," Dutrow said. "The horse is ready."

Mo Town is expected to arrive Feb. 21 in New Orleans after a morning Tex Sutton flight from South Florida.