Unbridled Mo prevails in Monmouth Oaks duel

Unbridled Mo with Paco Lopez riding won the $100,000 Monmouth Oaks at Monmouth Park.  Photo By Taylor Ejdys/EQUI-PHOTO

From a Monmouth Park release

Red Oak Stable’s Unbridled Mo sat off the speed of Tejana before pushing past the pacesetter in late stretch to capture the Grade 3, $100,000 Monmouth Oaks at Monmouth Park on Saturday by a neck.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Unbridled Mo went the mile and a sixteenth over a fast main track in 1:44 1/5 and paid $6.80, $3.20 and $2.60 as the third-choice in the field of six 3-year-old fillies. Tejana, who was a perfect two-for-two coming into the Oaks, settled for second, paying $3.20 and $2.60 and completing the $22.60 exacta. Mo d’Amour, who closed strongly on the outside was another three quarters of a length back in third.

“I had a good trip,” said winning jockey Paco Lopez. “My filly doesn’t have too much speed so I wanted to just sit off the pace. She didn’t have too much patience and wanted to go pressure the horse on the lead in the backstretch. She ran very well today and had to work for the win.”

A daughter of UncleMo from the Unbridled mare Unbridled Waters, Unbridled Mo has won her last three and is three for four lifetime. The homebred has earned $103,680.