Mucho Gusto drills for Saudi Cup

ARCADIA, Calif. – Mucho Gusto, the winner of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park last month in his 2020 debut, worked six furlongs in a quick 1:11.80 at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Mucho Gusto is scheduled to be flown to Saudi Arabia early Tuesday for the $20 million Saudi Cup at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 29 where he rates as a leading contender in the race at 1 1/8 miles.

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Trained by Bob Baffert, Mucho Gusto has won 6 of 11 starts and earned $2,441,800. Baffert is also sending the multiple stakes winner McKinzie to the Saudi Cup. McKinzie has not raced since a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic here last November.

Baffert said he has been impressed with Mucho Gusto’s training in recent weeks.

“He came out of it very well,” Baffert said. “The race sort of woke him up.”

Irad Ortiz is booked to ride Mucho Gusto. Ortiz rode the 4-year-old colt for the first time in the 1 1/8 mile-Pegasus World Cup. Mucho Gusto closed from fourth in a field of 10, drawing off by 4 1/2 lengths.