Mythical Man gets class relief seeking return to winner's circle

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mythical Man will be taking a sharp drop in class Wednesday when he runs in a starter allowance/optional $40,000 claiming race on an eight-race card at Aqueduct.

Typically dark on Wednesdays, Aqueduct is holding this card to make up for the cancellation of the Oct. 12 program due to a forecasted nor’easter. Seven of the eight races on Wednesday were part of that nine-race program.

Mythical Man, an Ontario-bred 3-year-old gelding by Mucho Macho Man, finished 12th in the $1 million Kings Plate at Woodbine on Aug. 15 and this will be his first start since. Before the King’s Plate, Mythical Man finished seventh of eight in the Grade 3 Manila Stakes at Saratoga on July 4.

Wednesday, he’s in for the $40,000 claiming price and figures to get a good setup behind the speed of Gene and Jude and Gem Mint Ten.

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Last December, at Gulfstream Park, Mythical Man won a first-level allowance/optional $75,000 claiming race over Soleil Volant, who last month won the Kent Stakes at Delaware Park.

Junior Alvarado, aboard for Mythical Man’s maiden $50,000 claiming win at Aqueduct last year, rides him Wednesday from the rail.

Gene and Jude was claimed by Mike Maker for $35,000 here on June 28, a race in which Gene and Jude set the pace but finished seventh, beaten three lengths. Maker ran him back in a starter allowance/optional $50,000 claimer on Aug. 3 at Saratoga where Gene and Jude set the pace, dug in when confronted by two challengers and gave way grudgingly to finish third, three-quarters of a length behind Iron Max and a neck behind Willintoriskitall.

Iron Max came back to win a first-level New York-bred allowance on Sept. 12 for his third straight victory while Willintoriskitall, came back two starts later to win a statebred first-level allowance race here on Oct. 11.

Gem Mint Ten was part of the early pace in West Point where he finished last, 25 1/4 lengths behind Rhetorical, who came back to win the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile.

Right to Win, trained by Chad Brown, won a pair of claiming races this spring and summer before getting beat a half-length in a condition similar to this on Sept. 12. Life and Light, a 26-1 longshot, finished a head in front of Right to Win and is back in this spot.

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