Tag: Bob Baffert
Mucho Gusto Retired Due To Soft Tissue Injury; Stud Plans Pending
Mucho Gusto, the winner of the 2020 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (Grade 1), has been retired from racing after suffering a soft tissue injury training toward a defense of his title.
Trainer Bob Baffert said the 5-year-old son of Mucho Macho Man came up with the injury Tuesday morning. News of the retirement was first reported by Thoroughbred Daily News.
“He galloped this morning, and afterwards we noticed some heat in the pastern,” said Baffert. “Ultrasound showed a small issue in the ligament in the pastern area. With soft tissue problems like this it takes months of rest and you don't know if they're going to be the same when they come back. The good thing is we caught it early.”
Mucho Gusto retires with six wins in 13 starts for earnings of $3,953,800. After winning on debut at Los Alamitos' Thoroughbred meet, the horse won the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes, then finished second to Improbable in the G1 Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity to finish his juvenile season.
He started his 3-year-old campaign on a winning note in the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, then ran third in the G3 Sunland Park Derby. Mucho Gusto skipped the Triple Crown races, instead going on to win the G3 Lazaro Barrera Stakes and G3 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita before shipping east to finish second in the G1 Haskell Invitational Stakes to Maximum Security and third to Code of Honor in the G1 Travers Stakes. His season finished with a victory in the G3 Oklahoma Derby.
Mucho Gusto spent his first two seasons racing for owner Michael Lund Petersen, who purchased him for $625,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-year-olds in training. Petersen sold the horse privately to Saudi Prince Faisal Bin Khaled following his Oklahoma Derby score.
Mucho Gusto kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with a 4 1/2-length triumph in the Pegasus World Cup, then tested the Saudi Cup, where he finished fourth. After a 10-month layoff, Mucho Gusto made his final career start in the G2 San Antonio Stakes, where he once again finished fourth.
“I gave him all that time off to have him fresh for these races (the Pegasus and Saudi Cup),” said Baffert. “He really likes that track (Gulfstream). He ran huge in the Haskell, but his biggest race was the Pegasus. And I thought for a second he was going to win the Saudi Cup. He's sort of been the barn favorite.”
Bred in Kentucky by Teneri Farm Inc. and Bernardo Alvarez Calderon, Mucho Gusto is out of the winning Giant's Causeway mare Itsagiantcauseway.
Stud plans for Mucho Gusto are still to be determined.
Stablemate Charlatan, winner of the G1 Runhappy Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, is also on the Pegasus invitation list, but Baffert is undecided on whether the 4-year-old Speightstown colt would run. “The door is still open for the Pegasus but we haven't figured anything out yet,” he said.
The post Mucho Gusto Retired Due To Soft Tissue Injury; Stud Plans Pending appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Mucho Gusto Retired
Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man–Itsagiantcauseway, by Giant’s Causeway), winner of last year’s GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, has been retired due to a soft-tissue injury, according to his trainer, Bob Baffert.
“He came up with a minor soft tissue injury that will knock him out of the Pegasus and Saudi Cup,” said Baffert.
The trainer said that the issue had just arisen today and that no stallion deal had been discussed yet.
The Pegasus was one of five graded races won by the 5-year-old chestnut, who also captured the GIII Robert B. Lewis S., GIII Lazaro Barrera S., GIII Affirmed S., and GIII Bob Hope S. He was second in the GI TVG Haskell Invitational and the GI Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity and third in the GI Runhappy Travers S. He was a graded stakes winner at two, three and four.
Mucho Gusto, purchased by Michael Lund Petersen for $625,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, was acquired privately by Prince Faisal Bin Khaled following the 2019 Oklahoma Derby and captured last year’s Pegasus in his first start for his new owner. He followed that victory with a fourth-place effort in the inaugural Saudi Cup last February. Most recently fourth in the Dec. 26 GII San Antonio S., he earned just shy of $4 million on the racetrack, finishing up his career with earnings of $3,953,800.
“We are disappointed because he was a barn favorite,” said Baffert. “He ran in some exciting races, and winning the Pegasus was incredible. Turning for home, he looked like he was going to win the Saudi Cup,” said Baffert. “He gave Michael Lund Petersen one of his biggest thrills when he ran second in the Haskell. We freshened him up, gave him the whole summer off to have him ready for the Pegasus and the Saudi Cup and then this thing happened. It was really disappointing, because I was really excited about him this year. He put up some huge performances.”
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Brody’s Cause Filly Kalypso Proves Best As Santa Ynez Favorite
In a performance befitting her short odds, Bob Baffert's Kalypso showed good early speed and took command turning for home en route to a facile 1 ¾-length victory in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden for the first time by Joel Rosario, Kalypso got seven furlongs in 1:23.42 and provided Baffert with his record sixth win in the Santa Ynez, an early prep for both the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks and the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.
Breaking from the far outside in a field of six sophomore fillies, Kalypso – from the first crop by Spendthrift Farm stallion Brody's Cause – enjoyed an early neck advantage on longshot Brilliant Cut, who broke from the rail. Heading up the backside, these two were head and head with Kalypso obviously well within herself. Turning for home, Kalypso asserted her dominance and she went on to a most impressive win as much the best.
“She broke good and put me right into the race, in a good position,” said Rosario, who notched his third stakes win through five days of racing. “I'm just happy to be on her. She was the best horse and she'll be better going longer distances.”
Most recently a close second going a mile and one sixteenth in the G1 Starlet at Los Alamitos Dec. 5, Kalypso was off as the 4-5 favorite and paid $3.80, $2.80 and $2.20.
“She has natural speed and she's a really fast filly,” said Baffert, who scratched morning line favorite Varda earlier but still ran three fillies. “She had the lead for a long time in the (Starlet), backing up it's a big difference to go seven eighths. The way she broke today, she was in a good spot and she was really training well coming into this race…
“I would try her long again, as they get older, they are maturing. You can slow her down a little bit, like today she was pretty relaxed. She wasn't too rank where she went real fast but we'll just see how (she) comes out of it.”
Owned by David A. Bernsen, LLC, Rockingham Ranch and Chad Littlefield, Kalyspo picks up 10 qualifying points to the Kentucky Oaks on April 30 and with her first graded stakes win, is now 5-2-2-1. With the winner's share of $120,000, she increased her earnings to $245,600.
Updated Kentucky Oaks points leaderboard
Ridden by Mike Smith, Frosteria rallied four-wide from well off the pace to outrun Brilliant Cut by 1 ½ lengths. The second choice at 7-2, Frosteria, a Godolphin homebred also trained by Baffert, paid $3.60 and $2.80.
Off at 30-1 with Ricky Gonzalez, the Doug O'Neill-trained Brilliant Cut finished 3 ½ lengths clear of Queengol and paid $5.80 to show.
Runner-up Frosteria picked up four Kentucky Oaks qualifying points, while Brilliant Cut got two and Queengol, one.
Baffert, who won last year's Santa Ynez with Bast, entered today's proceedings tied with D. Wayne Lukas with five lifetime wins in the race, which was run for the 70th time today.
Fractions on the race were 22.53, 45.13 and 1:10.18.
Live racing returns with first post time for a nine-race card on Friday at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are available free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager via 1st.com/Bet.
The post Brody’s Cause Filly Kalypso Proves Best As Santa Ynez Favorite appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
