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Triple Crown Hopeful? Mutasaabeq Switches To Dirt For Saturday’s Mucho Macho Man Stakes

Shadwell Stable's Mutasaabeq, a Grade 2 stakes winner on turf, is scheduled to make the switch back to dirt for Saturday's $100,000 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The Mucho Macho Man, a one-mile stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds, will kick off the 2021 Road to the Florida Derby (G1) on an 11-race program that will also be highlighted by the $75,000 Limehouse, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds; the $75,000 Dania Beach, a mile turf race for 3-year-olds; the $75,000 Glitter Woman, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies; and the $75,000 Ginger Brew, a mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Mutasaabeq looked like a colt with a big future on turf after surging from last to capture the Oct. 4 Bourbon (G2) in his grass debut at Keeneland. While major success on turf may well be in the son of Into Mischief's future, trainer Todd Pletcher has opted for the Mucho Macho Man as his next start following a disappointing off-the-board finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Keeneland in his 2-year-old season finale.

“I think he's versatile like we see with most Into Mischiefs. We've seen them run on both surfaces,” Pletcher said. “We'd like to see him on dirt again to help clarify that.”

Mutasaabeq started off his career with an impressive triumph over Saratoga's main track in August, drawing away to a 4 ½-length victory while running 5 ½ furlongs in 1:03.55. The Kentucky-bred colt returned to finish a distant third in the Hopeful (G1) at Saratoga a month later before making his turf debut in the Bourbon.

“We're very happy with the way he's training. We decided to get him back on the dirt. He broke his maiden on dirt and ran a respectable third in the Hopeful, so we'll see where we are with him,” Pletcher said.

Luis Saez has the mount aboard Mutasaabeq.

OMGA Investments LLC and Off the Hook LLC's Jirafales is set to make his stakes debut following a most promising Nov. 19 debut victory at Gulfstream Park West. The Gustavo Delgado-trained son of Social Inclusion overcame bumping at the start of the 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight for Florida-breds to surge from off the pace to win going away by 4 ½ lengths.

“We didn't expect him to run a race like that. We thought he might need a race. The pace helped a little bit,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., the trainer's son and assistant. “Since that race, he has been training very well. He's improving from that race.”

The homebred colt should have no problem stretching out to a mile, Delgado said.

“He's a huge horse. I'd say he's almost 17 hands,” Delgado said “He has this long stride. He can go all day. We think the longer he goes the better it will be for him.”

Cristian Torres has the return call aboard Jirafales.

Jim Bakke and Jerry Isbister's Ultimate Badger will seek to rebound from an off-the-board finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill. The son of Commissioner had previously captured an optional claiming allowance before finishing far behind stablemate Smiley Sobotka, who finished second in the Kentucky Jockey Club.

Ultimate Badger, who broke his maiden at first asking at Ellis Park, also finished out of the money in his stakes debut at Churchill in the Sept. 5 Iroquois (G3), won by stablemate Sittin On Go. Ultimate Badger came back to finish second and register a victory in optional claiming allowance company.

“He ran two bad races in his life and there are no excuses for either one of them,” trainer Dale Romans said. “They both happened in a stake with horses I know he can compete with. He just threw in some clunkers. He rebounded off the first one, so we're hoping he'll rebound off the last one.”

Corey Lanerie is scheduled to ride Ultimate Badger for the first time Saturday.

Magic Stables LLC's Papetu returns to action at Gulfstream Park after a pair of graded-stakes starts at Saratoga. The Antonio Sano-trained son of Dialed In finished sixth in the Aug. 7 Saratoga Special (G2) and fifth in the Sept. 7 Hopeful (G1) after launching his career with back-to-back victories at Gulfstream.

Leonel Reyes, who was aboard for Papetu's victories, is set for a return to the saddle.

John Bowers Jr.'s Pickin' Time brings graded-stakes credentials into the Mucho Macho Man, having pulled off a 2 ¼-length upset in the Nov. 8 Nashua (G3) at a one-turn mile distance at Aqueduct. The New Jersey homebred son of Stay Thirsty came back to finish a distant fourth in the Dec. 5 Remsen (G2).

Pickin' Time finished eighth in the Saratoga Special after winning his July 4 debut at Monmouth Park.

Joe Bravo has the call aboard the Kelly Breen-trained colt.

Alex and JoAnn Lieblong's Big Thorn is slated to seek his third straight victory and second stakes win in a row in the Mucho Macho Man. The David Fawkes-trained colt, who debuted with a second-place finish in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Sept. 24, graduated with a five-length romp Oct. 29. He followed up that win with a 4 ½-length victory Nov. 22 in the seven-furlong, off-the-turf Juvenile Turf at Gulfstream Park West.

Paco Lopez, who was aboard for both victories, has the return call on the homebred colt.

Breeze Easy LLC's Easy Time, like Jirafales, is scheduled to make his stakes debut in the Mucho Macho Man off a strong debut performance. The Mark Casse-trained son of Not This Time stalked the early pace of a seven-furlong maiden special weight race over Woodbine's synthetic surface before drawing away clearly by 2 ¾ lengths Oct. 25.

Jose Ortiz is scheduled to ride Easy Time for the first time Saturday.

John Fanelli and partners' Awesome Gerry and Peachtree Stable's Kiger will represent trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in the Mucho Macho Man field.

Awesome Gerry is coming off a second-place finish in the Nov. 30 Jean Laffitte Stakes at Delta Downs. The son of Liam's Map had previously broken his maiden for a $50,000 claiming tag at Gulfstream, won an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park West and finished fourth in the Nyquist at Keeneland.

Kiger graduated second-time out Oct. 29 at Gulfstream Park West before finishing second in a mile optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream last time out.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call aboard Awesome Gerry, while Edgard Zayas has been named to ride Kiger, a son of Verrazano.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Raison d'Air will be looking to rebound from a distant fourth-place finish in the off-the-turf Armed Forces Sept. 28 over a sloppy Gulfstream surface. The gelded son of Raison d'Etat had previously broken his maiden in his second career start by 13 ½ lengths.

Luca Panici has the call aboard the Kathy Ritvo trainee.

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Derby Prep: Dazzling Maiden Winner Life Is Good Stretches Out In Saturday’s Sham Stakes

A dazzling 9 ½ length maiden winner in his first start, Bob Baffert's Life Is Good will no doubt be a short priced favorite as he stretches out to a flat mile and heads a field of five sophomores in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.

Named in honor of the winner of the 1973 Santa Anita Derby, the Sham winner will receive 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, with four to second, two to third and one Derby qualifying point to the fourth place finisher.

Off at 1-5 with Mike Smith up in a field of five going 6 ½ furlongs on Nov. 22 at Del Mar, Life Is Good earned a lofty 91 Beyer Speed figure in his maiden win, easily best of those competing in the Sham. Purchased as a Keeneland September Yearling for $525,000, he made the lead easily through splits of 21.80, 44.80 and 1:09 flat en route to a smashing 9 ½ length score while getting the distance in 1:15.40.

Bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West, Life Is Good is by top stallion Into Mischief and is out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk, who was winless in five starts. Owned by China Horse Club, Inc. and WinStar Farm, Life Is Good will be making his second start as he tries to provide Baffert, who won the 2020 Sham with eventual Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, with his record seventh Sham Stakes winner.

Baffert will also be represented by first-out maiden winner Medina Spirit, who sped to a three length score going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos on Dec. 11 while earning a 76 Beyer.

The John Shirreffs-conditioned Parnelli, a $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling, was attentive to the early pace en route to a huge 5 ¾ length maiden win as the 1-5 favorite going a flat mile at Del Mar on Nov. 28. Owned by Lee and Susan Searing's C R K Stable, Parnelli, who is by Quality Road, out of the unraced Bernardini mare Sip Sip, will likely set a close second to Life Is Good in what will be his fifth start. Second in his first three assignments, the last two at one mile, Parnelli earned a 79 Beyer in breaking his maiden and will be ridden back by Drayden Van Dyke.

Shirreffs will also saddle Waspirant, who also broke his maiden at one mile, winning by three quarters of a lengths after stalking the pace on Aug. 29 at Del Mar with regular rider Umberto Rispoli. Subsequently a well beaten fourth in the G1 American Pharoah going a mile and one sixteenth here Sept. 26, he'll be making his fourth start and third consecutive try at two turns in the Sham.

Owned and bred by Pam and Martin Wygod, Waspirant is by Union Rags out of the Storm Cat mare Life is Sweet, who was a multiple Grade I stakes winning earner of more than $1.8 million.

A first-out maiden $32,000 claiming winner going 5 ½ furlongs here on Oct. 12, trainer Andrew Lerner's Uncle Boogie came back to be a solid second in a first condition allowance going 5 ½ furlongs as the even money favorite at Del Mar Oct. 31. Most recently second to runaway winner Red Flag in the G3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs Nov. 15, Uncle Boogie, a Florida-bred colt by Ride On Curlin who was purchased for $38,000 at an Ocala Sales 2-year-old in training sale in July, retains the services of Flavien Prat will likely seek a stalking trip in his first try around two turns. Owned by Eric Homme, he'll be making his fourth overall start.

THE G3 SHAM STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

Medina Spirit—Abel Cedillo—120
Waspirant—Umberto Rispoli—120
Parnelli—Drayden Van Dyke—120
Uncle Boogie—Flavien Prat—120
Life Is Good—Mike Smith—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. All of Santa Anita's races are offered free of charge at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager at 1st.com/Bet.

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‘Eager To Go’: Derby Hopeful Keepmeinmind Arrives At Oaklawn Park

After traveling Sunday and resting Monday, Tuesday was a work day for one of the country's top 2-year-olds of 2020.

Keepmeinmind galloped approximately a mile under regular exercise rider Saul Salas on a cloudy, cold Tuesday morning at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. It was the colt's first trip to the track at a racing venue since breaking his maiden in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs.

Keepmeinmind arrived Sunday night in Hot Springs after previously being based at WinStar Farm in Kentucky, where he had been in light training since a last-to-first victory in the Grade 2Kentucky Jockey Club, a 1 1/16-mile event that anchored Churchill's Stars of Tomorrow II program.

“He seemed all eager to go,” trainer Robertino Diodoro said after Keepmeinmind returned to the barn. “It was good to have him back in the barn. One step at a time.”

Diodoro reiterated there is no timetable regarding Keepmeinmind's 3-year-old debut, or even a regular workout schedule.

Oaklawn's first of four Kentucky Derby points races is the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 22, but Diodoro said Keepmeinmind is not a candidate for the 1-mile race. A late-running son of Laoban, Keepmeinmind raced four times this year (all routes), finishing second in the $400,000 Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland and third in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 6 at Keeneland before his breakthrough victory as the 2-1 favorite in the Kentucky Jockey Club. His last three starts have been at 1 1/16 miles. Oaklawn's Kentucky Derby points series continues with the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 15.

“Nothing set in stone,” Diodoro said. “Like the old saying: 'Let the horse tell us when he's ready to do something.' ”

David Cohen, Oaklawn's leading jockey in 2019, has ridden Keepmeinmind three times, including his victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club. Silver Prospector won the 2019 Kentucky Jockey Club before finishing fourth in the Smarty Jones – his 3-year-old debut – and then capturing the Southwest.

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2021 Jerome Stakes at a Glance

The 151st edition of the Jerome Stakes, which will be contested on Friday at Aqueduct, is not your grandad’s Jerome. Longtime fans of the sport might remember the Jerome as a Grade 1 test for 3-year-olds in the fall that attracted classic winners. These days, it’s the New Year’s Day featured race at Aqueduct, and the first in a series of four Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve preps at the Big A.