Mucho Macho Man vaults to seventh on graded earnings list for Derby

Mucho Macho Man vaults to seventh on graded earnings list

for Derby

MUCHO MACHO MAN (Macho Uno) banked $180,000 for his 1 1/2-length win in

Saturday's $300,000 Risen Star S. (G2) at Fair Grounds and moved into a tie for

seventh position on the graded stakes earnings list that will likely determine

the field for Kentucky Derby 137 on May 7 at Churchill Downs.

ARCHARCHARCH (Arch) garnered $150,000 for his one-length victory in Monday's

$250,000 Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn Park to debut at No. 15. Runner-up J P'S

GUSTO (Successful Appeal) added $50,000 to his already lofty total, which

currently stands at $540,000, good for No. 3 on the list.

THE FACTOR (War Front), winner of Sunday's $150,000 San Vicente (G2) at Santa

Anita, debuted at No. 25 after garnering the $90,000 first prize. Runner-up SWAY

AWAY (Afleet Alex) doubled his graded stakes earnings with the $30,000 check and

jumped from No. 35 into a tie for No. 28 with WILKINSON (Lemon Drop Kid) at

$60,000. San Vicente third PREMIER PEGASUS (Fusaichi Pegasus) earned $18,000 and

moved up one position to No. 27 at $78,000.

Meanwhile, Boys at Tosconova (Officer) ($532,060), Clubhouse Ride (Candy Ride

[Arg]) ($210,000) and Tapizar (Tapit) ($65,000) were removed from the list and

Kentucky Derby consideration. Boys At Tosconova was sent to a Kentucky farm for

R&R to recover from a possible problem ankle; Clubhouse Ride was sidelined by a

hairline right ankle fracture; and Tapizar was to undergo surgery to remove a

bone chip in his knee.

Here's the Kentucky Derby 137 Graded Stakes Earnings Top 20 through February

22:

The next 10 are STAY THIRSTY (Bernardini) ($110,000), ASTROLOGY (A.P. Indy)

($105,893), LOU BRISSIE (Limehouse) ($99,043), The Factor ($90,000), MAJOR GAIN

(More Than Ready) ($86,370), Premier Pegasus ($78,000), Sway Away ($60,000),

Wilkinson ($60,000) and SURREY STAR (Ire) (Dubawi) ($44,257).

Among those who could appear in the Fountain of Youth are No. 2 Gourmet

Dinner ($700,000), No. 7 Soldat ($270,000) and No. 11 To Honor And Serve

($210,000) as well as promising colts Casper's Touch (Touch Gold) ($0) and

Shackleford (Forestry) ($0). Gourmet Dinner was also under consideration for the

March 12 Tampa Bay Derby (G2). Meanwhile, No. 10 Dialed In (Mineshaft)

($240,000) will bypass the Fountain of Youth and likely use another race as a

prep for the April 3 Florida Derby (G1), according to trainer Nick Zito. Entries

for the Fountain of Youth and Hutcheson will be taken Wednesday morning.

Other open ungraded stakes events for three-year-olds scheduled for Saturday

include Sunland Park's $100,000 Borderland Derby at 1 1/16 miles (a prep for the

$800,000 Sunland Derby [G3] on March 27); the $50,000 Turf Paradise Derby over 1

1/16 miles near Phoenix, Ariz.; and Laurel Park's $50,000 Miracle Wood at seven

furlongs. Also, Fair Grounds will host the $60,000 Gentilly, a 1 1/16-mile turf

race restricted to Louisiana-breds.

The Turf Paradise Derby, which produced Kentucky Derby starters Startac (10th

in 2001) and Lusty Latin (15th in 2002), is expected to attract No. 42 Indian

Winter (Indian Charlie) ($22,500), who was scratched from the San Vicente when

trainer Jerry Hollendorfer felt the Santa Anita surface was favoring front

runners.

Elsewhere, No. 1 Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) ($1,260,000), the champion

two-year-old of 2010 and runaway winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) last

fall, appears likely to make his three-year-old debut in the $100,000 Timely

Writer, an ungraded, one-turn mile overnight stakes at Gulfstream Park on March

12. Owner Mike Repole and trainer Todd Pletcher originally planned to run the

colt in the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby at 1 1/16 miles on the same day.

"The Gulfstream Park surface is very similar to the surface that Mo's

training on every day at Palm Meadows," Pletcher explained. "There's also the

advantage of a 20-minute van ride to Gulfstream as opposed to a four-hour ride

to Tampa Bay. Mo's been training exceptionally well since his return and I am

very confident and comfortable with either the Timely Writer or the Tampa Bay

Derby."

"Our number one goal and focus is to do what's best for Uncle Mo -- to have a

very healthy and successful three-year-old campaign," Repole said. "Mo has more

than enough graded earnings to qualify for the (Kentucky) Derby on May 7. In

racing, there's no one's opinion I trust more than Todd Pletcher. Just knowing

how excited he is about the way Mo's training is very encouraging. With the race

more than two and a half weeks away, hopefully, this will give Mo's fans ample

time to make arrangements to watch his three-year-old debut."