george krikorian | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘I’ll Take A Barnful Like Her’: Mucho Unusual Does It All For Team Yakteen

If Mucho Unusual were human, she'd be considered an ideal employee. She's industrious, productive, honest and earns her keep.

Not much more one could ask for from an equine or a human.

A 5-year-old California-bred mare owned and bred by George Krikorian, Mucho Unusual lives up to her name as she has won sprinting on dirt and routing on grass, running her last 13 races in stakes competition, 12 in open company, including her most noteworthy triumph in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes last September.

Next up: Saturday's Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita Park, a race in which she was second last February. Victory would be worth $120,000, drawing her closer to millionaire status at $942,715.

“She's doing great,” said Tim Yakteen, who trains the bay for longtime client Krikorian. “She's in good form so we're good to go.”

Joel Rosario, who has ridden Mucho Unusual six times previously, winning three, pilots Knicks Go against Charlatan in the $20 million Saudi Cup Saturday, so Abel Cedillo rides her for the first time in the Buena Vista.

“It's been great working with an operation like George's,” said Yakteen, 56, the son of a German mother and a Lebanese-born father who joined the U.S. Army which earned him an assignment in Nuremberg, where Tim was born.

Krikorian built a career in real estate and commercial development before founding Kirkorian Premiere Theaters in 1984, but never lost sight of horses. His father, George Sr., trained horses in the 1960s and '70s.

Once asked what his father taught him, Krikorian quipped, “Well, he tried to teach me not to buy any horses, but I didn't listen.”

His steadfastness has paid off.

“George always puts the horse first and it's great working with someone like that,” observed Yakteen, who was assistant to Bob Baffert from 1988 through 1991 before working with another Hall of Fame trainer, the late Charlie Whittingham, for six years. Yakteen rejoined Baffert in 1997 and remained through 2004 before going on his own.

He is married to Millie Ball, a horsewoman in her native England and thus a knowledgeable TV commentator with XBTV.

“George raises fantastic horses,” Yakteen noted. “A number of them have been sold at auction and done exceptionally well. Honor A.P.is one. (The Honor Code colt sold for $850,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton July sale and would go to win last year's Runhappy Santa Anita Derby). They are horses you want to get up for in the morning.”

Mucho Unusual is in that category, worth waking before sunrise.

“I'll take a barnful like her,” Yakteen said.

The Buena Vista, race seven of nine with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Bohemian Bourbon, Jose Valdivia Jr., 20-1; Mucho Unusual, Abel Cedillo, 7-2; Warren's Showtime, Juan Hernandez, 5-1; Nasty, Ricardo Gonzalez, 6-1; Red Lark, Drayden Van Dyke, 8-1; Sedamar, Ruben Fuentes, 8-1; Going to Vegas, Mario Gutierrez, 6-1; Charmaine's Mia, Flavien Prat, 3-1; Sloane Garden, Tiago Pereira, 12-1; and Heathers Grey, Jessica Pyfer, 20-1.

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Mucho Unusual Handles Compact Field In Megahertz Stakes

Although spring training in Arizona and Florida is a month and a half away, George Krikorian's homebred Mucho Unusual nonetheless took a base on balls Monday at Santa Anita, as she powered to a three-quarter-length win at odds of 2-5 in the Grade 3, $100,000 Megahertz Stakes. Trained by Tim Yakteen and ridden by Joel Rosario, the 5-year-old California-bred mare by Mucho Macho Man got one mile on turf and thus became the Arcadia, Calif., track Winter Meet's first two-time stakes winner in the process.

With a pair of program scratches reducing the field of older fillies and mares to four, Mucho Unusual broke alertly from her number three post and was immediately lapped on Chilean import Brooke, who went straight to the lead from her rail post.

Second, while a measured three quarters of a length off the leader at the three-furlong pole, Mucho Unusual drew alongside leaving the quarter pole and was carried out to the four-path by Brooke at the top of the lane. From there, Mucho Unusual leveled nicely, put away the pacesetter leaving the furlong pole and easily held sway near the wire as Sedamar mounted a late rally.

An impressive three-quarter-length winner of the G3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes going 1 1/8 miles on turf here on Dec. 27, Mucho Unusual paid $2.80 and $2.10, with no show wagering.

“She's super honest, we're excited to have her in the stable, (it's been) just a great ride,” said Yakteen, who saddled Mucho Unusual for the 19th time on Monday. “We were thinking about keeping her at a mile and one eighth, mile and a quarter, unfortunately, there really wasn't anything coming up until the end of March, so we thought we would take advantage of a lighter field.”

Out of Krikorian's Unusual Heat mare Not Unusual, Mucho Unusual, a winner of the G1 Rodeo Drive Stakes three starts back at a mile and one quarter on turf Sept. 26, registered her fourth graded stakes win (fifth overall) and improved her career mark to 19-7-3-4. With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $822,715.

“I just got a good break and see what I had,” said Rosario. “I went to the first turn and it looked like the one horse (Brooke) really wanted to go to the lead, so I just waited behind (her) a little bit. This horse is really good…Thank you to the team and to George (Krikorian) for the opportunity.”

Sedamar, like the winner, a Cal-bred, was an attentive fourth early and was carried five wide turning for home while rallying as second-best. Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Sedamar was off at 7-2 and paid $2.60 to show while finishing a half length in front of Brooke.

Ridden by her regular rider in Chile, Jeremy Laprida, Brooke, who was off at 4-1 in her U.S. debut, came back to the rail after drifting out at the top of the stretch, taking the path of Colonial Creed and Flavien Prat a furlong out. As a result of this interference, Brooke was disqualified by the stewards and placed last.

Fractions on the race were 23.78, 48.00, 1:12.55 and 1:24.43.

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Big Fish Reels ‘Em In To Win California Cup Derby Going Away

Patiently handled by leading man Juan Hernandez, Legacy Ranch's Big Fish reeled 'em in late to take Saturday's $200,000 California Cup Derby at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., by 1 ½ lengths. Trained by David Hofmans, Big Fish got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:46.37.

A joint sixth, about four lengths off the lead going into the far turn, Hernandez bided his time, angled outside three sixteenths from home and Big Fish unleashed a powerful stretch kick to run down None Above the Law in the final sixteenth.

Fourth in the one mile turf Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 27, Big Fish, a 3-year-old gelding by Mr. Big out of the Into Mischief mare Perched, had been on turf and faced open company in his last four races, with both of his wins coming on the grass.

Ridden for the first time by Hernandez, he was also fitted with blinkers, after having not run in them in his last two starts. Off at 4-1 in a field of eight, Big Fish paid $10.00, $5.80 and $3.60. He was bred in Cal;ifornia by George Krikorian.

A one mile turf stakes winner in his fourth start on Sept. 7 at Del Mar, he now has added money victories on both surfaces. With the winner's share of $110,000, Big Fish increased his earnings to $229,018.

“I thought he preferred the turf, but since he was a Cal-bred we thought we'd take advantage of that,” said Hofmans. “He breezed well over (the dirt), the other day with Juan (Hernandez) and seemed to get over it well. He's just maturing. This horse is just now coming into himself. I think we have a better future going forward.

“I dream all the time, it's the only reason I get up in the morning,” Hofmans added. “We'll see what happens, how he comes out of it and go from there.”

Attentive to the pace throughout with Kent Desormeaux, None Above the Law finished four lengths better than pacesetter Good With People and paid $8.80 and $4.80 while off at 9-1.

Ridden by Rickey Gonzalez, Good With People finished 1 ¼ lengths in front of Warrens Candy Man and paid $3.60 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.26, 47.50, 1:12.43 and 1:39.38.

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Mucho Unusual Faces Chilean Import Brooke In Megahertz Stakes

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