3/4/11
Last updated: 3/3/11 4:09 PM
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Mucho Macho Man will try for two in a row in the Louisiana Derby
(Alexander Barkoff/Hodges Photography) |
MUCHO MACHO MAN (Macho Uno) will head back to New Orleans from his
Gulfstream Park home base to run in the Louisiana Derby (G2) on March
26, trainer Kathy Ritvo confirmed Thursday morning. The bay colt will be returning to the site
of his Risen Star S. (G2) victory over the Fair Grounds oval on February 19.
The Louisiana Derby, centerpiece event of the Fair Grounds racing
season, will carry a $1 million purse for the first time in its 98-year
history this year and become the richest Thoroughbred race ever run in
New Orleans.
“Yes, we’re coming back,” Ritvo said. “Mucho Macho Man seemed to love
the track at Fair Grounds, so there’s no reason not to come back. The
horse is doing great and we’re all looking forward to coming back to New
Orleans.
“We’ll probably arrive in the middle of the week like we did last
time, and I’ll be flying on the plane with him,” Ritvo concluded.
Mucho Macho Man opened his stakes account with a pair of runner-up finishes
behind To Honor and Serve (Bernardini) in last season’s Nashua S. (G2) and
Remsen S. (G2) at Aqueduct. Heading south for the winter to Florida, he made his
sophomore bow in the January 30 Holy Bull S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park prior to
earning a first stakes score in the Risen Star last out.
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Also returning for the Louisiana Derby out of the Risen Star will be ROGUE
ROMANCE (Smarty Jones), whom trainer Ken McPeek confirmed for the race earlier
this week. Last year’s Bourbon S. (G3) winner has now finished third in both of
his dirt starts, the Risen Star and the November Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).
