Mucho Macho Man keeps winning, this time the Gulfstream Park Handicap
It was a short but largely talented field in the in the Grade 2, $294,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap over at Gulfstream Park’s dirt course over a distance of 1 mile on 10 March, 2012, as Mucho Macho Man kept the stubborn, Tackleberry, at bay in the deep stretch
to post a 2 length victory over the defending champion.
The 4-year-old colt is trained by Katherine Ritvo for Dream Team One Racing Stable and Reeves Thoroughbred racing, and with a win in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap, the son of Macho Uno posted the second stakes win of the new campaign, with 2 wins
in as many starts this year.
The Florida bred downed the season opener, the Sunshine Millions Classic over at 1 1/8 miles, when he defeated the strongly built, Ron the Greek in the stretch in second and Turbo Compressor in third, while topping the 1 1/8 mile distance in 1 minute and
47.91 seconds at Gulfstream Park.
He earned his second graded stakes win after winning the Grade 2 Risen Star, a year back at Fair Grounds racecourse.
Sent as the 7 to 2 choice in the Gulfstream Park Handicap, Mucho Macho Man coupled with Ramon Dominguez had main competitors in, Tackleberry and Jackson Bend.
Under jockey Rajiv Maragh, Tackleberry right from the get go assumed the lead, and led the field through fractions of 24.52 seconds for the first quarter mile, 47.04 seconds for the half mile and 1 minute and 9.87 seconds for 6 furlongs.
Tackleberry was coming into the race after a nine month layoff, and with good credentials at Gulfstream Park, the Montbrook colt had a mixed race.
Mucho Macho Man was never far off the leader, and he came even closer in the backstretch, when he was just a length off the leader.
Coming out of the turn, Mucho Macho Man assumed a short lead, but the 5 to 1 choice, Tackleberry wasn’t done as he went nose to nose with Mucho Macho Man in the stretch, but right in the crunch time gave way and was defeated by 2 lengths, as Mucho Macho
Man covered the 1 mile distance in 1 minute and 35.30 seconds.
Jackson Bend, the high weight carrying 122 pounds finished third, but Luis Olivares would cringe after looking at the replay, thinking what could’ve been.
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