Mucho Macho Man Ships to Fair Grounds for Derby Campaign

The betting favourite for the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes, Mucho Macho Man (Macho Uno), has decided to leave the Florida circuit and head towards Louisiana in hopes of securing that coveted Derby stall.

After two second place finishes at Aqueduct to the well-regarded New York-based To Honor And Serve (Bernardini), connections had obviously been hoping that a lay-off and a switch to Gulfstream Park would pay bigger dividends than a fourth-place finish to upstart Dialed In (Mineshaft).

Speaking to the Daily Racing Form, Mucho Macho Man’s conditioner Kathy Ritvo more or less confirmed the obvious. “We’re just looking for an easier spot for him than the Fountain of Youth… The Risen Star is certainly an option.”

According to Ritvo, a workout on Saturday will likely set the wheels in motion about Mucho Macho Man’s destination. Florida racing observers will likely understand why the bay colt is opting for the path of least resistance – his old nemesis To Honor And Serve is set to line up against his other vanquisher Dialed In as both will contest the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream. It will be To Honor And Serve’s 2011 debut after a pair of high quality grade 2 front-running victories at the Big A.

With Mucho Macho Man only sitting on $90,000 in graded earnings, he’ll need to step it up and start either winning Grade 2 and 3 races of at least placing in some high-profile Grade 1 contests.

Connections are expected to opt for a change in tactics as Mucho Macho Man was clearly undone by contesting a hot early pace in the Holy Bull only to be picked off by an impressive late run by Dialed In – who has become a breakout Derby contender in the days since.