Mucho Macho Man ready to go for another season at 4 in the Sunshine Millions Classic
The newly turned 4-year-old colt, Mucho Macho Man, was only one of three who was able to race all three races in a crammed up Triple Crown, with the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby being his best of the three, finishing third to Animal Kingdom.
Fatigue is the only concern for trainers and connections when it comes to running all three Triple Crown races, and more often than not, their star performers come out injured with most of the season still to unfold.
The classic example is of the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner and second in the Preakness Stakes to Shackleford, Animal Kingdom, who succumbed to an injury after competing in full fields of three races.
He was bound to get injured, but his one solid performance in the end compensated for losing the season after May, in 2011, by winning the top 3-year-old honours at the end.
The glory is tremendous, and horses who race are naturally prone to accidents just waiting to happen both, on and off the track. The wise thing to do is to take the risk and hope for the best.
The Florida bred 4-year-old Mucho Macho Man’s trainer, Katherine Ritvo along with the owners, Dream Team One Racing Stable and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, decided to take that risk, which yielded them a third place finish in the Kentucky Derby, 6th in the Preakness and seventh in the Belmont Stakes.
Mucho Macho Man made a winning comeback to races, following the Belmont Stakes. It was an allowance/optional claimer on 9 November, 2011, at the Aqueduct racecourse, going at a mile on dirt under Ramon Dominguez.
It was taken as a tester, but proved out to be good as Mucho Macho Man came out of the race successful.
Now that he is 4, it is time to forget the past and lay a solid plan for the new season, and Mucho Macho Man will kick start things with a run in the Sunshine Millions Classic against six other runners, at about 1 1/8 miles on dirt at Gulfstream Park on 28 January.
Mucho Macho Man will head the field along with the runaway winner of the Calder’s Carl G. Rose handicap in his 3-year-old finale, Turbo Compressor. It is shaping out to be a solid field and a fight to the wire is much on the cards.
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