My Miss Mo found the perfect redemption in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
- Turf Diario
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
After missing the Kentucky Oaks (G1), the daughter of Uncle Mo responded with determination at Laurel Park, giving Saffie Joseph Jr. a major victory while the trainer also sharply criticized the veterinary protocols that led to her scratch at Churchill Downs
LAUREL, Maryland (Special to Turf Diario).- It was not the Kentucky Oaks (G1), of course. But for Saffie Joseph Jr., My Miss Mo’s victory in the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) carried almost the exact same emotional weight.
After the enormous frustration of having to scratch the filly from the premier race for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs, the daughter of Uncle Mo found immediate redemption Friday at Laurel Park, showing both courage and quality to capture the 1800-meter event and the lion’s share of the US$300,000 purse.
Racing for Averill Racing, Mathis Stable, and Tristan de Meric, the filly went postward as the 5-2 favorite following runner-up finishes in both the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) and the Davona Dale Stakes (G2), and she delivered exactly the performance her connections had hoped for—though the road to this moment had been anything but smooth.
“I always say everything happens for a reason,” Joseph said afterward. “Today she proved it. Now she’s a Grade 2 winner. Could she have won the Oaks? Probably not. But we’re going to enjoy this just as much as if we’d won the Oaks.”
The trainer’s comments went far beyond simple sporting satisfaction.
Joseph used the occasion to explain in detail the circumstances surrounding the controversial scratch of My Miss Mo from the Kentucky Oaks, directing sharp criticism toward the veterinary protocols currently enforced at Churchill Downs.
According to Joseph, veterinarians had concerns regarding the filly’s physical condition and wanted to subject her to a PET scan, something the trainer declined in favor of traditional X-rays instead.
Ultimately, the connections made the strategic decision to withdraw her from the Oaks before risking placement on the dreaded “vet’s list,” which automatically would have prevented her from competing in the Black-Eyed Susan.
“On Monday they had a question mark about her and wanted us to do things we didn’t want to do because it could’ve put us at risk of missing this race,” Joseph explained. “We scratched ourselves from the Oaks. It’s a slow process, and I wasn’t going to let that process cost us a race like this.”
He then went even further in criticizing the current system.
“We need dialogue between veterinarians and horsemen. We have to find a system that protects the horse, absolutely, but that’s also respectful and doesn’t make rushed decisions that can ruin a campaign,” Joseph said. “There’s a delicate balance. Safety is critical, but at the same time you can’t make horses lose opportunities they may never get back.”
Once the gates opened, My Miss Mo quickly proved she was perfectly fit to compete.
Breaking from the outside post under Tyler Gaffalione, she settled in second behind shock leader Savor It (Vino Rosso), the 62-1 outsider who carved out fractions of :24.14 and :49.10.
The favorite began advancing around the far turn and seized command before entering the stretch, though she was immediately confronted by Jumping the Gun, the Gun Runner filly trained by Andrew Simoff, who battled stubbornly for much of the lane.
But My Miss Mo showed real determination.
She fought head-to-head through the stretch and only inside the final 150 meters finally edged clear to score by 1 3/4 lengths, completing the 1800 meters in 1:52.15.
Jumping the Gun held second comfortably, while A. P.’s Girl (Honor A.P.), trained by Peter Eurton, completed the trifecta.
Bred by Valerie Mastromonaco, Tristan de Meric, and the Uncle Mo Syndicate, My Miss Mo is out of In a Dream, by Quality Road, and had been purchased for US$320,000 at the 2025 OBS March Sale.
The victory was only the second in six career starts, but it also pushed her earnings beyond US$328,000 and, above all, gave Joseph both a sporting and emotional vindication after an extremely tense week.
Sometimes, the biggest stories do not need to happen at Churchill Downs to feel enormous.
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