BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Coming off the strongest race of her career and two consecutive graded stakes wins, Florida-bred My Miss Mo steps up to face Grade 1 company for the first time in Saturday’s $1 million Cotillion at Parx Racing.
The Florida-bred daughter of Uncle Mo, who races for Richard Averill of Bradenton, Florida in the name of his Averill Racing, Anthony Mattera’s ATM Racing based in Palm City, Florida and Tristan de Meric of Ocala, Florida, will face eight other 3-year-old fillies set to go a mile-and-one-sixteenth.
In addition to the winner’s share of the purse, a victory outside Florida in a Grade 1 by My Miss Mo would trigger a $7,500 Export Incentive paid by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association paid to de Meric, Valerie Mastromonaco of Ocala and the Uncle Mo Syndicate as breeders of My Miss Mo.
Since breaking her maiden by 12 lengths in her second career start at Gulfstream Park in November of last year, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has smartly managed My Miss Mo, racing her in five stakes, four of which have been graded.
After finishing her juvenile year with a fourth in the six-furlong, $102,000 Sandpiper at Tampa Bay Downs in December, she jumped on the road to the Kentucky Oaks with two seconds in the Grade 2 Davona Dale in February and in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks in March, both at Gulfstream. She earned a spot in the starting gate for the Oaks, but was scratched just days before the race in favor of running in the Grade 2 Black Eyed Susan going the same nine-furlong distance at Laurel Park two weeks later.
She responded with a length-and-three-quarters victory in the Black Eyed Susan then was given a short two-month break. She returned to win the mile-and-a-sixteenth Monmouth Oaks (G3) on July 25, winning by a length-and-a-half ahead of Cotillion rival Bodacious Bay in second.
My Miss Mo has accumulated $418,030 in earnings from three wins and three seconds in seven starts, her only finish out of the top two coming in the previously mentioned Sandpiper.
In addition to his partnership roles as breeder and owner, de Meric also consigned My Miss Mo to last year’s Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale where Averill and Mathis took her for $320,000.
Tyler Gaffalione, who rode My Miss Mo in the Davona Dale, Gulfstream Park Oaks and Black Eyed Susan, has the mount in the Cotillion and they will break from post one.
The Cotillion is the last Grade 1 of the year exclusively for sophomore fillies on dirt and has therefore attracted an all-star cast that includes 8-5 program favorite Always a Runner, winner of the prestigious Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.
In two races since the Oaks, Always a Runner was second, both behind Counting Stars in nine-furlong Grade 1s at Saratoga Race Course. She was three-and-three-quarters lengths behind in the DraftKings Acorn on June 5 then four-and-a-half lengths back in the Coaching Club American Oaks on July 25.
Always a Runner is trained by Chad Brown for Douglas Scharbauer and Goncalo B. Torrealba’s Three Chimneys Farm and sports earnings of $1,184,800 from three wins and two seconds in five starts.
Jose Ortiz has ridden the daughter of Gun Runner in her last three and will again be aboard Saturday from post four.
Rounding out the field are Bodacious Bay with Micah Husbands up, Zany will be ridden by John Velazquez, Iron Orchard teams with jockey Luis Saez, Francisco Martinez has the assignment on Savor It, Paco Lopez pilots Ms Sophistication, Measure will have Manny Franco taking the call and Flavien Prat will guide Tap to Open.
Return to the September 17 issue of Wire to Wire
