Breeders’ Cup Classic Winner Mucho Macho Man
The 2013 Breeders’ Cup World Championships celebrated its 30th anniversary on the first and second of November at http://www.horseracing.com/tracks/california/santa-anita/” title=”Santa Anita Park”>Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, with Mucho Macho Man crossing the finish line first in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic
A race covering a distance of 1 ¼ miles on dirt. The field for this event is limited to 14 contestants, with five Breeders’ Cup Challenge Grade I races working on the principle of “Win and You’re In” – the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs; the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga Race Course; the Pacific Classic and Del Mar Racetrack in San Diego; the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita Park and the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. The Breeders’ Cup Classic record of 1:59.02 was set by Ghostzapper in 2004.
Foaled on 15 June 2008, out of Ponche de Leona by Macho Uno, Mucho Macho Man was reportedly named after the classic Village People song Macho Man. His sire was the winner of the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and was selected as the American Champion Two-Year Old Colt in the year 2000. Having been born so late in the season, some of the horses Mucho Macho Man had to compete against were up to five months older than him.
In his two-year-old season, Mucho Macho Man broke his maiden at Monmouth Park in September 2020 and was moved up to Graded class, finishing the Nashua Stakes and the Remsen Stakes in second place, behind To Honor and Serve, at Aqueduct Racetrack. Highlights of his three-year-old season included winning the Risen Star Stakes and running in all three legs of the American Triple Crown. Mucho Macho Man took first place in the Sunshine Millions Classic at his four-year-old debut, going on to win the Grade II Gulfstream Park Handicap in March. He won the Grade II Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park in July. He finished second to To Honor and Serve in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga in September.
He failed to finish the Sunshine Millions Classic – his five-year-old season debut – and finished third in the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga. As the winner of the “Win and You’re In” Awesome Again Stakes, Mucho Macho Man qualified for the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and trained by Katherine Ritvo, the jockey who rode Mucho Macho Man to victory was Gary L. Stevens. It has not yet been decided whether the champion thoroughbred will race next year or be retired to stud.
