Mucho Unusual cuts back for Megahertz Stakes

The recent success of Mucho Unusual in longer graded stakes on turf for fillies and mares overshadows her two stakes wins at a mile in 2019.

In three other appearances in turf stakes at a mile, Mucho Unusual has been second or third, giving trainer Tim Yakteen confidence in advance of the 5-year-old mare’s appearance in Monday’s Grade 3 Megahertz for fillies and mares at that distance at Santa Anita.

The course itself is a boost to Mucho Unusual’s chances. Mucho Unusual has won 4 of 8 starts on turf at Santa Anita and been second or third in the other four races.

Mucho Unusual ended 2020 with a win in the Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf on Dec. 27. The 22-day turnaround equals the fastest comeback of her career. Mucho Unusual won the California Cup Oaks at a mile on turf for 3-year-old statebred fillies in February 2019 after a similar gap from her preceding start.

“She’s been consistent,” Yakteen said. “She had a great work coming up to this. We’re ready to fire back.”

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Mucho Unusual has had one workout since the Frankel Stakes, a half-mile in 50 seconds on Jan. 10. The slower time is reflective of most works in Mucho Unusual’s career.

“She came out of the work in great shape,” Yakteen said.

Owned and bred by George Krikorian, Mucho Unusual won the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita in September, and was later 12th of 14 at 65-1 in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 7 at Keeneland against some of the world’s top females.

The $100,000 Megahertz will be her first start at a mile since a third-place finish at 1-2 in the Solana Beach for statebred fillies and mares at Del Mar in August. The Megahertz is Mucho Unusual’s first start at a mile at Santa Anita since she was third by a length in the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes last February. Keeper Ofthe Stars and Jolie Olimpica were first and second and returned to win stakes in their following starts.

The Megahertz drew a field of six. Mucho Unusual is the only stakes winner in the group in the last 12 months.

The Megahertz will be the American stakes debut of Brooke, a 5-year-old Chilean-bred mare now trained by Simon Callaghan. In Chile, Brooke won four stakes at distances ranging from about 6 1/2 furlongs to about 1 1/4 miles, all on turf.

Brooke has not raced since March, when she finished ninth of 17 in the Group 2 Longines Cup in Argentina, her only start in that country and the only time in her eight-race career that she has been outside of the first two.

Brooke has had a steady pattern of workouts in California since late October.

“She’s been training forwardly,” Callaghan said. “I think she’ll be midpack. I think our filly is pretty ready.”