Miss Mo Mentum Runs Down Trillium Field
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Photo: Michael Burns
Miss Mo Mentum and jockey Jerome Lermyte pass the leaders in the stretch to win the Trillium Stakes at Woodbine
Gary Barber's Miss Mo Mentum flew through the Woodbine turn four wide and drove through the stretch to take the $125,000 Trillium Stakes (G3) for fillies and mares June 16.
Favored Tapa Tapa Tapa led the 10-horse field throughout most of the 1 1/16-mile test over the all-weather surface, taking them through six furlongs in moderate fractions of :24.70, :49.19, and 1:13.08. Miss Mo Mentum had raced near the back and though Tapa Tapa Tapa opened up slightly and was still on the lead through the turn and into the stretch, it was evident that the Mark Casse-trained Miss Mo Mentum, who was driving hard from far outside, was capable of overtaking the leader.
Ridden by Jerome Lermyte at odds of 7-1, the pair crossed the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front in a final time of 1:43.30.
"The speed was fast enough to be comfortable," Lermyte noted. "She doesn't have early speed, but then she can get on the bridle and she kind of did in the first turn but then she relaxed pretty well. Mid-turn I was starting to get really confident. She was showing me that she has a lot to give and she produced amazing acceleration and that made a difference."
Finishing within a head of one another, Tapa Tapa Tapa fell back to fourth in the final strides, leaving Hot Cash and Dixie Moon to get up for the second and third-place spots, respectively.
The winner returned $17.10, $9.80, and $4.90 across the board. Hot Cash paid $14.30 and $7.20 to place while Dixie Moon returned $3.10 to show.
So far this season, Miss Mo Mentum had finished off the board in two optional-claiming allowance races at Gulfstream Park. The last time she was in the winner's circle was in May 2018 for the Selene Stakes (G3) at Woodbine, when she defeated Dixie Moon by a neck. Over all the 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly has accumulated a record of 5-2-0 from 15 starts and earnings of $271,866.
Bred by Ralph Kinder, Erv Woosley, and the Uncle Mo Syndicate, Miss Mo Mentum is the third foal out of the Mineshaft mare Somalia, who also produced grade 3 winner Lookin for Eight. The Lookin At Lucky colt is also campaigned by Casse and Barber and partners.