Mawthooq Entered in Mucho Macho Man Stakes
Well-stocked with prospects for the 2015 spring classics, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is hoping to get off to a fast start at Gulfstream Park Saturday. The 54-year-old trainer is scheduled to saddle Mawthooq for a start in the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man, the first major stakes for 3-year-olds of the New Year.
Mawthooq, whose name was prominent among the nine horses entered Wednesday in the race formerly known as the Gulfstream Park Derby, is set to enter the fourth running of the one-turn mile event off a blow-out victory at Aqueduct in his 2014 finale.
“He’s had a couple of nice works. He’s a nice colt and ready to go,” said McLaughlin, whose stable is based at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. “We’ll see how we stand.”
McLaughlin stands to have a very active winter and spring in stakes for 3-year-olds in 2015. In addition to Mawthooq, McLaughlin also trains Frosted, who was a close second in the Remsen (G2) in his 2014 finale after racing against an inside bias from his No. 13 post at Aqueduct; Classy Class, whose fourth-place finish in the Remsen was also likely compromised by his outside post; Imperia, who finished a troubled second in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs in his dirt debut; and Ocean Knight, a son of Curlin who captured his debut by 4 ¼ lengths at Aqueduct on Dec. 13. McLaughlin also trains Jess’s Dream, the son of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra who is likely to make his debut at Gulfstream in late January.
Owned by Shadwell Stable, Mawthooq debuted at Belmont on Oct. 11 with a solid second-place finish behind heavily favored Ready for Rye in a six-furlong sprint. The son of Distorted Humor returned to action at Aqueduct on Nov. 26 with a front-running 10 ½-length triumph while stretching out to a mile over a sloppy track.
“We hooked a very nice colt the first time out who we finished second to,” McLaughlin said. “The next out he won easy on a wet track, so you never know, but he’s a really nice horse.”
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez has been named to ride the chestnut colt Saturday, taking over the reins from Cornelio Velasquez.
Thus far, Mawthooq has met McLaughlin’s early expectations.
“He always trained good. He’s straightforward. He was a little keen early in his last race, but Cornelio (Velasquez) did a nice job trying to slow him down early,” he said. “He’s done everything right since that race. Ask me April 15th how we like him, but right now we like him a lot.”
The connections of the past two runnings of the then-Gulfstream Park Derby will be well-represented in Saturday’s renewal that has been renamed to honor the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) champion who was based at Gulfstream.
Trainer Michael Maker and owner J. Armando Rodriguez, who visited the winner’s circle with General a Rod last year, will be represented by A. Rod Again, who impressively broke his maiden at Churchill Downs in his second start in November.
“He’s a good, late-maturing horse. I really like him,” Maker said. “He put it all together his last time out, and seems to be moving forward every time.”
Itsmyluckyday scored in 2013 for trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. and owners Trilogy Stable and Plesa’s wife, Laurie, who hope to return to the winner’s circle with Honest, a maiden winner at Monmouth in his second lifetime start in September.
“He’s training good; he’s doing good. I’ve had success in this race before, so I thought to myself, ‘It’ll answer some questions whether he can go the distance or not,’ ” Plesa said. “I think that he can, but I don’t know for sure.”
Honest is a son of 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Blame.
“I’ve always thought a lot of him, and he showed that to us in his second start,” Plesa said. “I was going to run him in an allowance race up there, but it never went for him.”
Brother Bobo will stretch out from six-furlongs to a mile in the Mucho Macho Man. The son of Kantharos is a half-brother to Ribo Bobo, a fan-favorite multiple stakes-winning sprinter, but has demonstrated a strong late kick in both starts. The Jason Servis-trained colt debuted at Gulfstream Park West on Oct. 27, closing from sixth to win going-away at 5 ½ furlongs. He returned at the Miami Gardens track on Nov. 29 to finish full of run to lose a photo decision by a neck to It’s Not Me in the Buffalo Man Stakes.
Marcus Vitali-trained Bluegrass Singer, who finished third in the three-horse Buffalo Man photo, has been entered in the Mucho Macho Man off a dominating allowance win at a mile on Dec. 17.
Juan and Bina, who finished a clear second behind highly regarded Mr. Jordan in the Smooth Air Stakes at Gulfstream Park West last time out, is set to make his third straight appearance at a mile.
Josie Carroll-trained Ami’s Flatter is scheduled to make his stakes debut following a debut victory at a mile over Woodbine’s Polytrack surface in November.
Twotwentyfive A, who captured the seven-furlong $250,000 Affirmed Division of the Florida Sire Stakes, will seek to rebound from a pair of subpar showings at Gulfstream Park West.
“I think the distance will be good for him and it’s one turn,” trainer Stanley Gold said. “We’ll throw out the two (Gulfstream Park West) races. He didn’t run good there, but he trained good before them and he trained good after them. This is a definite class check.”
Dekabrist rounds out the Mucho Macho Man field.
Source: Gulfstream Park