Chance It Has Big Chance in Mucho Macho Man Stakes

To understand just how much trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. prizes his 3-year-old colt Chance It, you simply need to go back to Sept. 21.

Joseph was at Parx Racing that day, overcome with emotion after winning the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) with Math Wizard for the trainer's biggest and richest victory since moving to the United States from Barbados in 2011. Yet at the same time, there also was something adding considerable stress to his life. He needed a way to get back to South Florida in a hurry.

Why?

He had to be there for Chance It's workout the following day.

About 3 ½ months later, the reasons for Joseph's keen interest in Chance It have become even more obvious as the Currency Swap colt owned by Shooting Star Thoroughbreds will make his 2020 debut Jan. 4 in the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park, a one-turn mile test for 3-year-olds that will provide some hints on if Chance It can extend his brilliant form against Florida-breds at 2 to open company on the 2020 Triple Crown trail.

"As we got nearer to the time, you get more edgy, you get more anxious to get him back started," Joseph said. "You just want him to come back good and show that he's the same horse as he was as a 2-year-old."

Chance It has not raced since Sept. 28 at Gulfstream when he tackled two turns for the first time and posted a dominant 7 1/4-length victory as a 1-2 favorite in the $400,000 In Reality division of the Florida Sire Stakes. That victory atoned for a surprising loss by a head in his previous race, the $200,000 Affirmed division of the Florida Sire Stakes, also at Gulfstream, the only surface he has raced over.

Also a winner of the Dr. Fager division of the Florida Sire Stakes in his added-money debut, the son of Pleasantly Perfect mare Vagabon Diva bred by Bett Usher has three wins and two seconds in five starts with earnings of $384,150.

For Saturday, he's a 9-5 morning-line favorite over six rivals, who will be receiving 2-4 pounds from the 124-pound highweight who has put in a string of bullet works at Gulfstream for his 3-year-old debut and first race against open company. To be ridden Saturday by Tyler Gaffalione, Chance It's most recent work was a dazzling four-furlong breeze in :46.12 at Gulfstream, the fastest of 114 works at that distance Dec. 29.

"He's relaxed a lot. In his works, we put him behind horses and he switches off and relaxes. When you ask him to go, he goes. I think that's a good asset if he's going to become a really, really good horse," Joseph said. "He's showing all those qualities."

The Mucho Macho Man, named for the Florida-bred winner of 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), also will help provide insight about the status of the Oct. 27 Street Sense Stakes at Churchill Downs as a key race. 

Silver Prospector was third in the one-turn mile Street Sense and then went on to win the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) in his next start. Shotski, who was fourth in the Street Sense, took the Remsen Stakes (G2) in his subsequent start. Sagamore Farm's South Bend won the Street Sense, to improve his record to 3-fo-3, but then finished sixth in the Kentucky Jockey Club on a sloppy track. 

Making his first start since that Nov. 30 setback, South Bend will try to put that initial glitch on his resume behind him Saturday.

"It was a very disappointing race," trainer Stanley Hough said about the son of Algorithms ' lone loss. "It was on a very muddy racetrack. We had a lot of rain that whole week. I'm not sure if he disliked the track or the two turns or what. The winner he had beaten the time before. He didn't run his race for whatever reason. He does have talent. Maybe he's a one-turn horse and the two turns got him or maybe he didn't like the track."

Bred in Kentucky by Highclere, South Bend was purchased for $70,000 from the Pick View consignment at the 2019 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Out of Old Trieste mare Sandra's Rose, he has earned $174,504. 

The field of seven includes six starters with stakes experience. 

Screen Door Stables' As Seen On TV, a son of Lookin At Lucky , won the Juvenile Sprint Stakes for Florida-breds in his last start, while Andie Biancone and Limelight Stables's Sole Volante will make his dirt debut after winning the Pulpit Stakes on turf Nov. 30.

Shadwell Stable's Ashaar was fifth in the Remsen in his second career start, and Stonehedge's Smash Factor was second in his last two starts, finishing behind a pair of his Saturday rivals. He finished 1 ½ lengths behind As Seen On TV in the Juvenile Sprint and 7 ¼ lengths in back of Chance It in the In Reality.

Santa Rosa Racing Stables' Inter Miami, a winner of a maiden claimer in his lone start, rounds out the field.

The Mucho Macho Man will be the 10th of 11 races with an approximate post time of 4:30 p.m.

The Saturday program also features four other stakes for 3-year-olds, topped by the $100,000 Kitten's Joy (G3T), a 7 ½-furlong turf stakes (race 7, 3 p.m.). Also on the card are the $75,000 Limehouse Stakes (race 6, 2:30 p.m.) at six furlongs, the $75,000 Glitter Woman Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs for fillies (race 8, 3:30 p.m.) and the $100,000 Ginger Brew Stakes for fillies at 7 ½ furlongs on turf (race 9, 4 p.m.). 

Entries: Mucho Macho Man S.

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 04, 2020, Race 10

• STK
• 1m
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 3 yo
• 4:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1South Bend (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	122	Stanley M. Hough	9/2
2	2Chance It (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	9/5
3	3Smash Factor (FL)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Michael Yates	10/1
4	4As Seen On Tv (FL)	Paco Lopez	122	Kelly J. Breen	5/2
5	5Ashaar (KY)	Joe Bravo	118	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	10/1
6	6Sole Volante (KY)	Luca Panici	122	Patrick L. Biancone	8/1
7	7Inter Miami (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Alexis Delgado	6/1