Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man put in the last local work
Saturday morning, going five furlongs in 1:02 2/5 on the main track at
Gulfstream Park.
On Sunday, the Florida-bred will leave for California where he will have one
more work at Santa Anita before the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 8.
Under regular exercise rider Nick Petro, Mucho Macho Man went out at 6:30
a.m. (EST) and was caught in splits of :24 4/5 and :37 2/5, galloping out
six furlongs in 1:15 3/5 down the middle of the track.
“The track was fast today, so we figured we’d take care of him,” trainer
Kathy Ritvo said. “He went five-eighths off the fence, just nice and easy. He
galloped out very well and he came back great, and he’ll travel tomorrow.”
Mucho Macho Man won the Awesome Again and Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa
Anita last fall, and was second by a half-length to Fort Larned in the 2012
Classic.
“Hopefully, it will be the same as it was before, and he’ll have a good trip
out there,” Ritvo said. “He likes it there. It’s cool at night and pretty nice
during the day, so it’s good horse weather. It’s nice to go out there. He’s had
so much success out there, so it’s nice to go. We’re looking forward to it, and
he’s doing so well it’s hard not to be excited.”
Accompanying Mucho Macho Man to California will be Ritvo, racing manager Finn
Green, Petro and his hotwalker and groom, along with stable pony, Oreo, and
Ritvo’s dog, Oliver.
“Everybody goes with him, and we stay the same all the time. He has a routine
when we ship,” Ritvo said. “We ship him with another horse we have and that
keeps him comfortable because he knows someone from his place is going. We all
stay with him, so it makes for a smooth transition. It works really well for
us.”
The Santa Anita Handicap will be the first start for Mucho Macho Man since
Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs purchased a share in the six-year-old son of
Adena-bred Macho Uno from owners Dean and Patti Reeves earlier this week.
Mucho Macho Man will continue to run in the Reeves’ colors and be trained by
Ritvo and managed by Green. Upon his retirement, he will join Adena’s stallion
roster that includes Alphabet Soup, Awesome Again, Fort Larned and Ghostzapper,
all fellow Breeders’ Cup Classic winners. Champion older horse and Horse of the
Year in 2004, Ghostzapper was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.
“I’m really excited to be able to train for Mr. Stronach,” Ritvo said. “I
have never trained for him before, so it’s exciting to be able to train for
someone who has had so much success. It’s great to have a great partner, and we
know that he’ll have a great place to retire and have a second career. I’m
excited for him.”
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