Reeves explains La Derby choice for Mucho Macho Man;
speaks of visit to Coa
Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Dream Team One Racing’s Mucho Macho Man, hero
of Fair Grounds’ Risen Star S. (G2), breezed a half-mile in :48 2/5 at
Gulfstream Park on Saturday while readying for his upcoming engagement in the $1
million Louisiana Derby (G2) on March 26 at the Crescent City oval.
“It was a just a light work for him,” said Dean Reeves, one of the principal
owners, when speaking over the phone from South Florida later Saturday morning.
“This horse is doing just fabulous right now and we’re all looking forward to
coming back to New Orleans. Everyone treated us really well last month and it
was a wonderful experience for us. We’ll all be rolling in the Wednesday before
the Louisiana Derby and be back at the barn with the horse.
“The Louisiana Derby is a great venue,” Reeves said, “and one of the reasons
we wanted to bring the horse back to Fair Grounds is that when horses all turn
for home over that track it’s still a long way to the finish line. I think from
a mental standpoint of the horse it’s a good thing to get him used to that
because of the long stretch run at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby (G1).”
Mucho Macho Man remains one of the top “feel good” pre-Triple Crown stories
this winter because of his trainer, Kathy Ritvo, who underwent successful heart
transplant surgery in November of 2008 and has been blessed so far with
excellent health during her recovery.
However, a shadow fell on the Mucho Macho Man team less than 24 hours prior
to the Risen Star when regular rider Eibar Coa suffered paralyzing injuries in a
spill at Gulfstream, leaving the colt to go on to win the Louisiana Derby prep
with jockey Rajiv Maragh deputizing for his fallen peer.
But last Friday, Reeves visited Coa in the hospital where the rider has
already undergone two additional surgeries and presented with him a check for
$18,000 — the equivalent of the winning rider’s share of the Risen Star purse
of $300,000.
“You know, right after that race, I talked about that idea with my wife,
Patti, and we both agreed it was the right thing to do,” Reeves said. “Eibar has
been an important part of our team since the beginning. I remember after he got
off the horse the first time he ever worked him he said, ‘This is going to be
the horse that takes me to the Kentucky Derby.’ I know what the horse means to
Eibar. Now he’s going to be our biggest cheerleader, and now he’s rooting for
Rajiv and Rajiv is rooting for him.
“I was amazed how much better Eibar looked after only a week,” Reeves said of
their Friday meeting. “I didn’t really know what to expect but I was pleasantly
surprised. His color was good, his spirit was good and he seemed deeply
appreciative of our visit. We brought him a copy of The Blood-Horse with
Mucho Macho Man on the cover and he seemed to enjoy that, too.
“Most of all, I could watch him move his left arm a little and I could see
decent movement out of his left leg. His right leg was a little weaker, but I
could see the muscles around his knee twitching when he tried to move it and I
think that’s a very good sign. I always try to think positive thoughts and with
that in mind I’m going to say that I think he’s going to walk again. I don’t
know how long that may take, but I think it’s going to happen.
“It turned about to be a very emotional visit,” Reeves concluded of the
Friday meeting. “Eibar had tears in his eyes and I know I had tears in mine. I
tend to be a very emotional person, anyway. I usually end up crying at weddings
and sometimes that’s for people I don’t even know.”