Mucho Del Oro looks to break favorites curse in San Simeon
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ARCADIA, Calif. – A solid cast of turf sprinters is entered in the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita, and the only reason to be skeptical of the favorite is the San Simeon rarely is won by a favorite.
Mucho Del Oro figures to end that anomaly. Although favorites have lost seven of the last eight San Simeons, Mucho Del Oro stands out in the hillside sprint, which will go as race 9 on a 10-race card. Mucho Del Oro’s sixth-place comeback at Gulfstream Park was better than it looked, and he is 3 for 5 on the Santa Anita hill – including a victory in last year’s San Simeon.
Doug O’Neill trains Mucho Del Oro and Anarchist, graded winners who top the 6 1/2-furlong San Simeon. Others include allowance winners Sorrento Sky and Charge for Gold, and Grade 2 winner Air Force Red, who would be wheeling back one week after finishing last in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile. Gaslight Dancer, St Anthony, and Lovesick Blues also are entered.
Claimed for $50,000 in 2023, Mucho Del Oro emerged as a hillside horse for the course in 2024 by winning a pair of Grade 3s and finishing second in a restricted stakes race. Following an eight-month layoff, he returned Jan. 25 in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint. His trip did not go to plan.
“He was kind of down toward the inside,” O’Neill said. “He’s a big horse and they left there flying, and he didn’t leave there as quickly and just kind of got tangled up a little bit. But I was really impressed with the way he came running late.”
Normally a pace-presser, Mucho Del Oro lost position early, raced in traffic, rallied between rivals late, and missed by less than two lengths. It was an outstanding comeback by the 7-year-old, who has trained well since.
“He’s been training great. His breeze last weekend was fantastic, so we’re optimistic,” O’Neill said. “I love [that] he drew the outside here.”
Juan Hernandez rides Mucho Del Oro from post 8. His workout pattern has a gap from Feb. 16 to March 2, but he did not miss a work, as an interim work was not published. If Mucho Del Oro returns to his 2024 form, he figures to win the San Simeon for a second straight year.
The O’Neill-trained Anarchist is qualified to upset despite finishing last of five in his comeback. His trip also did not go as planned. Anarchist broke from the rail in the dirt sprint. He was unable to make the lead and trailed throughout.
“He’s a funny horse. You can’t tap on the brakes or he backs out of it and you can’t re-engage,” O’Neill said. “You kind of have to send him.”
Ramon Vazquez rides Anarchist, who won the Grade 3 Pat O’Brien last summer at Del Mar on dirt and finished second in the 2023 San Simeon in his only start on turf.
Anarchist blazed five furlongs last weekend in 58.60 seconds.
“Leaned on him a little bit, he went well, and he came out of it in good shape,” O’Neill said.
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