Mucho Macho Man settling back in at Santa Anita ahead of
Big ‘Cap
Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man, who arrived
in Southern California Sunday afternoon from Florida, went two times around
Santa Anita’s training track Thursday morning as he prepares for the Grade 1,
$750,000 Santa Anita
Handicap on March 8.
“We haven’t had any bumps in the road getting here,” said
Finn Green, Racing Manager for owners Dean and Patti Reeves and Frank Stronach,
who recently bought a share of the horse.
“We’re dealing with the rain as it comes,” Green added.
“We’ll be flexible (on a breeze) based on the weather, and we’ll move it further
out instead of trying to get something in on a questionable track. We’ll wait
for the track. But you can tell the track’s being well-tended to.”
More than half an inch of rain hit the drought-stricken Los
Angeles area last night, but the sun was out late Thursday morning. Another
storm is set to reach the area late Thursday night.
Thursday’s three races scheduled to be run on turf were moved to the main
track, creating an even greater challenge for handicappers participating in the
day’s Pick 6, which had a carryover of $198,609 and was expected to reach $1.25
million.
In other Big ‘Cap news, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Thursday morning he
is considering running only one of the four horses he has nominated to the 1
1/4-mile race. That one is On Trust Handicap winner Rousing Sermon, who is
exiting a fifth-place effort in the Grade 2 San Pasqual on January 11.
The Craig Lewis-conditioned Clubhouse Ride, who picked up $1,528 for finishing fifth in
Sunday’s Joe Hernandez at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf, is $478
shy of $1 million in earnings. The Candy Ride six-year-old is nominated to three races on March 8
— the Santa Anita Handicap; the Grade 1, $300,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on grass; and the
Grade 2, $250,000 San Carlos at seven furlongs on
dirt.
“He can run on anything,” Lewis asserted. “Determining factors
will be the weather and how it affects his training, and weight assignments for
the Big ‘Cap.”
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