Mucho Macho Man returns a winner; Awesome Feather flies home in Distaff

Mucho Macho Man was the 2-1 second choice in his second start off the

five-month break, and returned $6.20, $3.80 and $3 to his faithful backers. Ron

the Greek came with a furious late rally, overtaking Turbo Compressor in the

shadow of the wire, but could not reach the winner. It was another seven lengths

back to Duke of Mischief, who was followed by 8-5 favorite Adios Charlie, Decaf

Again and Dream Maestro.

"We really sat the perfect trip. We were right in behind the leaders and he

just didn't fire," said jockey Javier Castellano aboard Adios Charlie. "He felt

really good in the post parade, but today just wasn't his day. He just didn't

fire."

Mucho Macho Man ran 1 1/8 miles on the fast dirt in 1:47 4/5 to improve his

career mark to 13-4-3-3. The four-year-old has thus far banked $883,643,

beginning with a pair of placings against maiden special weight rivals at Calder

and Saratoga. He finally broke his maiden for Tim Ritvo, scoring at Monmouth

Park in September 2010 by four lengths, but has been saddled by trainer Kathy

Ritvo ever since.

His new conditioner would send Mucho Macho Man out to finish second in the

Nashua and Remsen Stakes, a pair of Grade 2 events at Aqueduct, but the bay colt

made his sophomore bow a fourth-placing in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes last

January. He returned to capture his first stakes victory when taking the Grade 2

Risen Star Stakes, then went on to be third in the Grade 2 Louisiana Stakes and

Kentucky Derby before off-the-board placings in the Preakness and Belmont

Stakes.

Given the next five months off, Mucho Macho Man returned in November to

easily take an optional claimer, and is now on track for a big year in the

handicap ranks.

"Ramon did a great job," Ritvo said. "Everything has gone well since we

started back with him. The race at Aqueduct was at the right time to get him

going again and everything has gone right since then. When he came up to that

other horse (Turbo Compressor) I was confident he would go on from there."

Dominguez, who rode Mucho Macho Man for the first time in the Belmont, was

impressed with the colt's development.

"You can really tell how much he's grown up since I rode him in the Belmont.

Back then, he was just a big skinny horse that had a lot of maturing to do,"

Dominguez said. "Now he looks like he's grown up and has everything figured

out."

Ritvo has no set plan for Mucho Macho Man's next race.

"We'll see how he comes out of it and then start to look for another race for

him," she said.

Bred in Florida by John D. and Carole A. Rio, Mucho Macho Man is campaigned

by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Dream Team One Racing Stable. He is out of the

stakes-winning Ponche mare Ponche de Leona and comes from the same family as

Grade 1 heroine Dream Empress.

"I was a little concerned when I saw the fast fractions, but Jeffrey is part

of the team and executed perfectly," Brown remarked. "She just hit another gear

and it was over. I'm not sure we've ever seen every gear she's got."

Sent off the 4-5 favorite, Awesome Feather was worth $3.60, $2.60 and $2.10.

Delightful Mary was game in defeat, grabbing the place spot by 1 1/4 lengths

over Sweet Repent. My Pal Christy followed in fourth, with Tiz the Argument and

Perfect Embrace completing the order under the wire.

"I committed to make the lead and the winner was pressing me hard. When I

looked over she was just very handy," said Dominguez, who had piloting

duties aboard Tiz the Argument. "We couldn't match strides with her. She's

really like her name says."

The Florida-bred Awesome Feather competed for breeder Jacks or Better Farm in

the first six starts of her career. Trainer Stanley Gold saddled the daughter of

Awesome of Course to a sweep of the Florida Stallion Stakes series at Calder,

then sent her out to a 2 1/4-length triumph in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Fillies. That was enough for the lass to be honored with an Eclipse Award as

champion two-year-old filly.

Awesome Feather found herself in Brown's shedrow barn not long after the Breeders' Cup,

though, as she sold for $2.3 million to her current connections just days after the event.

Tendon issues cropped up before the filly really began training for her

three-year-old season, and she recuperated for much of last year.

The bay miss returned on October 5 at Belmont Park to add a victory in the Le Slew

Stakes to her resume, then jumped right back into top-level competition when

romping by 5 1/4 lengths in the Grade 1 Gazelle Stakes on November 26 at

Aqueduct.

Out of multiple Grade 3-placed stakes winner Precious Feather, who is by

Gone West, Awesome Feather's third dam is 1958 champion two-year-old filly

Quill. Starting her four-year-old campaign off with a bang in this one, she has

now banked $1,861,746.

"We don't have anything in particular in mind for her," Brown added. "The

biggest thing with her is to see how she comes back. We'll talk to the Stronachs

and see where we go. With her, it's one race at a time."