Pegasus Score Has Breeder Alvarez-Calderon Soaring

Mucho Gusto's runaway victory in the Jan. 25 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1) certainly made for a rich afternoon for his connections. For his breeder, Peruvian Bernardo Alvarez-Calderon and his Teneri Farm, it was a day in the sun in South Florida at Gulfstream Park.

"It was very exciting. We had a lot of confidence in the horse, and he looked fine before the race. But you know, they have to run," Alvarez-Calderon said the day after the nearly $3 million event. "We were very impressed and absolutely excited.

"You can't ask for more for what he's done. From the very beginning, he showed he was a high-quality horse. Right now, you'd have to think he's one of the best horses, no?"

Alvarez-Calderon is no stranger to breeding, raising, and riding good horses. An accomplished show jumping rider, Alvarez-Calderon competed internationally for some 20 years, making his way to the South American championships and also competing in England in the early 1970s.

"Horses have been my life," he said.

He's also made horses his family life. His daughter Gabriela—one of his six children—has been an instrumental part of his breeding operation and his broodmare band in Kentucky.

Alvarez-Calderon began breeding in the U.S. in 1986. His initial purchase was Redwing Blackbird (in foal to Proud Appeal) for $9,600 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky January Sale. The foal, a filly named Proud Emilia, won a couple of races at Suffolk Downs and made her way to New Jersey for the 1990 Garden State Park Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap (G3), where she ran third to Hall of Famer Safely Kept.

"My filly was very small," he remembered. "I went to see the race. My filly looked like she was a foal of Safely Kept. She ran with her for a while but was beaten a couple of lengths."

Proud Emilia proved better still as a broodmare. A colt by Saint Ballado, Domingo, was a champion miler in Peru. His full sister, Saint Emilia, won at the group 3 level and was group 1-placed and produced group 3 winner Thundering Emilia (by Thunder Gulch). Thundering Emilia is the dam of Kentucky-bred Emilia's Moon (by Malibu Moon ), who won the Clasico Polla de Potrancas (G1) in Peru in September.

His runners have done well on a global scale.

Twice Alvarez-Calderon-bred runners have won "Win and You're In" races in Peru for the Breeders' Cup and made their way to the U.S. Valiant Emilia finished eighth behind Untapable in the 2014 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Santa Anita Park, and Birdie Gold ran behind Wuheida in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) at Del Mar.

CROSBY: Birdie Gold Carries Banner for South America at BC

Dominguin, a son of Domingo, made his way from Peru to Dubai but was unplaced in the 2006 S & M Al Naboodah Group U.A.E. Derby (G2).

The Teneri broodmare band numbers six, and they reside at Shawhan Place in Bourbon County, Ky. In Peru, Alvarez-Calderon has some 40 mares at his 250-acre farm.

"They do a great job with the horses," he said of Shawhan Place.

Among the mares at Shawhan Place is Itsagiantcauseway, the dam of Mucho Gusto who was a private purchase. After the mare produced foals by Majesticwarrior and Colonel John, the breeder decided to send Itsagiantcauseway to Mucho Macho Man .

"I pick out the stallions I want to breed to," he said. "And in this case, I had some help from my good friend Vincent Portaro, who lives in Ocala (Fla.). He has been working many years with the horses, and he was the one who helped me get in contact about the season."

The resultant foal was "a very good-looking horse," Alvarez-Calderon said. "We sold him when he was really a weanling (a short yearling at the 2017 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale). He was in really good hands."

Kelly Lively paid $14,000 for Mucho Gusto at the sale from the Shawhan Place consignment. S.R. Schwartz, agent, paid $95,000 for him that September at Keeneland. At 2, Kip Elser's Kirkwood Stables, agent, offered him at the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where Mucho Gusto didn't attract too much attention, failing to sell on a final bid of $55,000. By May, Mucho Gusto blossomed into a $625,000 sale juvenile at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Bob Baffert's client Michael Lund Petersen was the buyer.

Mucho Gusto won five of his first 10 starts for Petersen, including the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3), Lazaro Barrera Stakes (G3), and Affirmed Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita. Before the Pegasus, he was sold to Prince Faisal Bin Khaled of Saudi Arabia.

Itsagiantcauseway is slated to visit Medaglia d'Oro  in 2020. Alvarez-Calderon is anticipating watching Mucho Gusto make his way for the inaugural $20 million Saudi Cup. The Pegasus win has the Teneri team soaring. Loftier heights may be in store.