Miss Mo Mentum Scores Graded Win in Selene Stakes
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Photo: Michael Burns
Miss Mo Mentum (outside) flies past Dixie Moon to a neck victory in the Selene Stakes at Woodbine
Gary Barber's Miss Mo Mentum, under jockey Patrick Husbands, chased down 8-5 favorite Dixie Moon in the stretch of the $125,000 Selene Stakes (G3) to win her first graded race by a neck May 19 at Woodbine.
Last in the field of eight 3-year-old fillies early on, the daughter of Uncle Mo mustered up momentum down the stretch to win the 1 1/16-mile event on the all-weather track, giving trainer Mark Casse his fourth stakes win of the meet. Supplemental entry Safe to Say, also trained by Casse for Barber and co-owner Windways Farm, finished third.
Go Noni Go was up front through fractions of :23.94, :47.37, and 1:11.44 through six furlongs, with Get Explicit and Remember Daisy pressing the pace and Dixie Moon stalking behind. Miss Mo Mentum began to improve her position down the backstretch along the rail and was behind the leaders as they turned for home. Dixie Moon emerged between fillies down the stretch, and Miss Mo Mentum chased after her in a two-horse breakaway, eventually collaring the favorite at the wire in 1:42.36.
Miss Mo Mentum, the 5-1 third choice in her Woodbine debut after finishing well back in a pair of graded stakes at Gulfstream Park this year, returned $12.50, $5.10, and $4.10.
"When this horse comes to the (synthetic track), it's a whole different scenario," said Husbands, who described Miss Mo Mentum as a 'monster' filly. "Going into this race, I was very sweet on her. I only had one problem—the rail is good, the speed is holding, and I draw the outside (post 7)—that's the only concern. Six furlongs out, I knew it was going along pretty fast—it was really clicking—so I started to feel happy, and then I dashed back on the inside by the five-eighths pole and I saw Eurico (da Silva, aboard Dixie Moon), and my heart got big."
Bred by Ralph Kinder, Erv Woolsey, and Uncle Mo Syndicate, Miss Mo Mentum has four wins from 10 starts with earnings of $198,203.
"She's a horse we've really liked right from the beginning, and she's just had some bad luck and run in some tough races. It's really nice to see her get to the winner's circle where she should be," assistant trainer Kathryn Sullivan said of the Kentucky-bred filly.