Locals, Northerners will mix it up in Mucho Macho Man
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The road to the $1 million Florida Derby starts Sunday at Gulfstream Park when a full field of a dozen newly turned 3-year-olds will look to punch their ticket into more important races later this winter when squaring off in the $150,000 Mucho Macho Man.
The one-mile Mucho Macho Man is the last of three stakes, all for 3-year-olds, to be decided on Sunday and the first of three major local preps for the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 1, along with the Grade 3 Holy Bull and Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.
The Mucho Macho Man figures to test even the most skillful of handicappers as it brings together a strong group of locally based youngsters and some imposing Northern invaders topped by the stakes-placed trio of Fliparino, General Jim, and Mr Bob, along with the well-bred Churchill Downs maiden winner Laver.
The home forces are led by the undefeated pair of Legacy Isle and Lord Miles. The former was perfect in two starts at 2 and has already won at a mile, having overcome an eventful trip to register a come-from-behind, three-length allowance victory on Nov. 27. In contrast, Legacy Isle showed off a high turn of early speed winning his debut in wire-to-wire fashion by five widening lengths going 6 1/2 furlongs nine weeks earlier.
“He’s had to break from post 1 in his first two starts and he’s drawn the one again Sunday,” said trainer Rohan Crichton. “He broke bad the first time but Emisael [Jaramillo] hustled him and he showed how fast he was by still being able to go right to the lead.
“He broke a little slow in his second start and put himself in a little tight spot when taken back along the inside, but he overcame that too and my rider [Jaramillo] said it doesn’t matter where he sits, he can handle anything, which is a big plus to have, especially with a young horse.”
Crichton said he’ll have his fingers crossed when they spring the latch for the Mucho Macho Man.
“In a perfect world he’ll break better, with my dream trip being able to sit just off the pace of the four horse [Dreaming of Kona],” said Crichton.
Lord Miles also was a very impressive winner at first asking here this fall, rallying to an easy 5 3/4-length victory when launching his career at six furlongs on Nov. 19 for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
“His Beyer number wasn’t impressive but visually I loved his first race,” said Joseph. “I thought the most impressive part of it was the way he really took off at the eighth pole and put the race to bed right there.
“I think he should get even better with more distance, he’s given us a lot of confidence, and if he’s as good as we think he should give a very good account of himself on Sunday.”
Fliparino won his debut at Churchill before stretching out to a mile and one-sixteenth to finish third in the Grade 3 Street Sense in his 2-year-old finale.
General Jim posted back-to-back victories at Saratoga and Keeneland going a mile and one-sixteenth on the turf before finishing third in the grassy Central Park at Aqueduct in his last start. He must prove he can transfer that good form back to dirt in the Mucho Macho Man.
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Mr Bob was a well graded maiden winner at Keeneland before finishing a late-running third in the Ed Brown Stakes at Churchill four weeks later, with both races decided at 6 1/2 furlongs.
Laver, the younger brother of graded stakes winner Navratilova, won a key maiden special weight race in his 2-year-old finale but is poorly drawn on the outside, in post 12, for his stakes bow.
Limehouse Stakes
A field of just six 3-year-olds was drawn for the six-furlong Limehouse, led by the undefeated and yet untested Two of a Kind, idle since registering a wire-to-wire, two-length triumph in the 5 1/2-furlong Tremont at Belmont Park on June 9, and the once beaten Super Chow, whose lone setback in five starts was a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special.
Stakes winner Turbo, runner-up the first two legs of the Florida Sire Series here last summer, X Y Point, Dangerous Ride, and Cajun Dream complete the lineup.
◗ Lynx, winner of the opening two legs of the filly division of the Florida Sire Series here last summer, will lead the local hopefuls against Northern invaders Pure Pauline, Padma, and Alma Rosa in the one-mile Cash Run for 3-year-old fillies.
Alma Rosa has been transferred to trainer Jorge Delgado since her ninth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
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