Mocito Rojo primed for Delta Mile

Mocito Rojo, the multiple Grade 3 winner based in Louisiana, is being pointed to the $100,000 Delta Mile on Nov. 28 at Delta Downs, according to his trainer, Shane Wilson.

Mocito Rojo will be looking for his second win in the race, which he captured in 2018. He went on to win last year’s Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park and Grade 3 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs.

Mocito Rojo worked Saturday morning at Louisiana Downs, going a half-mile in 50.20 seconds. He will be based this winter at Fair Grounds as Wilson will be setting up his stable at the New Orleans track for the first time in several years. Mocito Rojo also is a candidate for the Tenacious at Fair Grounds.

“He breezed really well and galloped out well,” Wilson said Saturday. “He’s bucking and kicking coming off the track every day. He’s got my heart in my throat watching him. I wish the Delta Mile was Oct. 28 instead of Nov. 28.”

Mocito Rojo is coming off a third-place finish in the Governor’s Cup on Aug. 21 at Remington Park. The seven-time stakes winner is an earner of $845,513. He races for Wayne T. Davis.

Wilson shifted his summer base to Louisiana Downs this year and finished third in the standings behind Steve Asmussen and Karl Broberg. In the past, he had been based at Evangeline Downs and Delta.

“We had a good meet this summer running on the turf and we want to keep some of them on the turf,” Wilson said of moving to Fair Grounds. “Plus, we like to claim horses, and there’s a good quality of horse to claim from down there.”

Wilson said he will soon begin moving horses into Fair Grounds.

Delta’s meet had to be delayed this year because of damage inflicted by Hurricane Laura. The track remains on schedule to open its meet Nov. 24, while horses were cleared to move into the stable area Monday, according to a Delta official.