‘Mo Money’ out to ‘Conquest’
BALTIMORE — Conquest Mo Money was expected to cost considerably more money than $8,500 at auction last November, but Tom McKenna was more than a little thrilled to walk away from the Conquest Stables’ dispersal sale at Keeneland with the fashionably bred colt. RACING BEAT Ed Gray
Just 15 months earlier, the son of Uncle Mo was bought at auction for $180,000. Now, six months after McKenna’s purchase, the New York-bred colt is scheduled to run in tomorrow’s $1.5 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.
“He fell through the cracks. It is a blessing from God, I guarantee you. It was a very fortuitous thing that happened,” said McKenna, who operates a highly successful blue-collar stable in New Mexico. “I don’t think it will happen again in my lifetime.”
Conquest Mo Money never made it to the races for Conquest Stables before entering the sales ring, but he made an immediate return on his 81-year-old owner’s investment, earning $12,900 for winning his career debut at Sunland Park on Jan. 6. The bargain colt came right back to win the $100,000 Riley Allison Stakes and the $100,000 Mine That Bird Stakes. He lost his undefeated record in the $800,000 Sunland Derby, but his secondplace finish behind Preakness opponent Hence was worth $176,000 and earned him a start in the $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park April 15.
Conquest Mo Money showed the way into the deep stretch in the major Kentucky Derby prep before grudgingly giving way to champion Classic Empire by a half-length. The effort made him a legitimate Derby prospect, but his connections failed to meet the deadline for late nominations to the Triple Crown. Although Conquest Mo Money qualified for a spot in the 20-horse field, McKenna was required to put up $200,000 to make him eligible to the Triple Crown, considerably more than the $6,000 late-nomination fee.
McKenna decided to bypass the 11⁄ 4- mile Derby in favor of putting up a $150,000 fee to supplement his colt to the Preakness Stakes, the 13⁄ 16- mile second leg of the Triple Crown that seemed more suited to Conquest Mo Money’s speedy running style.
Conquest Mo Money, who has earned more than $500,000 for McKenna’s Judge Lanier Stable, drew the far outside post in the 10-horse field on Saturday and is being given a long shot’s chance at 15-1.
“It’s a dream come true,” McKenna said. “I never thought I would be here. Everybody in the horse business dreams about it, whether you have one horse, two horses or three horses.”
Conquest Mo Money is trained by Miguel Hernandez, a former jockey who has been training for only three years, primarily on the New Mexico circuit.
“You never think you are going to have that kind of horse,” the 51-year-old Hernandez said. “Honestly, that horse surprised me the way he started training. Every day he has improved more and more. Now I feel like he is a super horse. I think he’s going to be good.”
Jorge Carreno, a New Mexico native who has been riding at small southwestern U.S. tracks for 15 years, will ride Conquest Mo Money.
“He’s a dream horse. I never thought about riding this level of horse,” said the 34-year-old jockey, who has been aboard for his mount’s five career races. “I call him a warrior. If he has a horse right next to him, he won’t give up. He’ll give everything.”
Conquest Mo Money hung tough against Classic Empire in the Arkansas Derby but will need to step up his game while doing battle with Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming, the 4-5 morning-line Preakness favorite, as well as Classic Empire, the 3-1 second choice.
Although he went through the sales ring virtually unnoticed last November, speedy Conquest Mo Money is expected to be prominent during the early stages of the Preakness, at the very least, catching the attention of the Derby winner and the Arkansas Derby victor in the run to the first turn.