Santa Anita: Mucho Macho Man, Will Take Charge may scare rivals away from Big Cap

ARCADIA, Calif. – The presence of top older males Mucho Macho Man and Will Take Charge in the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 8 may limit the size of the field.

As of Sunday, a field of eight or nine was expected for the Big Cap, with a few trainers taking a wait-and-see approach as to whether they will have a runner.

Mucho Macho Man and Will Take Charge were separated by a nose in the Breeders’ Cup Classic here in November. Mucho Macho Man arrived in California from Florida on Sunday.

In the Big Cap, their opponents are expected to include Game On Dude, who won the race in 2011 and 2013; Blingo and Imperative, who were first and second in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on Feb. 8; Appealing Tale, the winner of two consecutive optional claimers over a mile in recent months; Rousing Sermon, who was fifth in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes in January; and possibly American Blend and Majestic Harbor, who were third and fourth in the San Antonio.

Game On Dude finished fifth in the San Antonio Stakes as the 3-10 favorite after fighting for the early lead.

Carla Gaines, who trains American Blend, and Sean McCarthy, who trains Majestic Harbor, said they would decide whether to run in the Big Cap closer to entry day on March 5.

Rousing Sermon is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, who said last week that he was unlikely to have a Big Cap runner. Hollendorfer said Sunday that Rousing Sermon could run and likely would be his only starter. Hollendorfer had considered Blueskiesnrainbows and Fury Kapcori as Big Cap probables earlier this month but said they will be pointed for other stakes.

Setsuko, second in the 2012 Big Cap, will not start, trainer Richard Mandella said. Setsuko worked a mile in 1:39.60 on Saturday but did not impress Mandella.

“It wasn’t good enough to think about the Handicap,” Mandella said.

Blingo and Imperative, separated by a half-length in the San Antonio Stakes, worked Sunday.

Blingo, trained by John Shirreffs, worked six furlongs in 1:12.20 under jockey Aaron Gryder. Blingo won his first graded stakes in the San Antonio.
Imperative, claimed for $50,000 by KM Racing Enterprise and trainer George Papaprodromou at Hollywood Park in December, worked five furlongs in 1:03 under jockey Kent Desormeaux. Sunday’s workout was the first for Imperative since the San Antonio Stakes.

“He came out of the work all full of himself,” Papaprodromou said.