Mutasaabeq Back to Dirt in Mucho Macho Man Stakes

Grade 2 winner Mutasaabeq, who in his most recent dirt start earned a grade 1 placing, is entered for a return to the main track Jan. 2 in the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Contested at the one-turn mile, the Mucho Macho Man is not a points race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby schedule but it certainly could serve as a steppingstone for horses being considered for the spring classics. Ten newly turned 3-year-olds are entered.

Shadwell Stable's Mutasaabeq will be making his first start since an off-the-board effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf presented by Coolmore America (G1T), where the son of Into Mischief  raced wide throughout and never really threatened, finishing 10th. Before that start, Mutasaabeq made a splash in his turf debut Oct. 4 when he rallied from 11th to score a clear victory in the Bourbon Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland.

Mutasaabeq raced on dirt in his first two starts, rolling to a 4 1/2-length score in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course before finishing third, 12 1/2 lengths behind winner Jackie's Warrior, in the seven-furlong Runhappy Hopeful Stakes (G1) on the same track. Trainer Todd Pletcher believes he is comfortable on either surface.

"I think he's versatile like we see with most Into Mischiefs. We've seen them run on both surfaces," Pletcher said. "We'd like to see him on dirt again to help clarify that."

Mutasaabeq has settled into Pletcher's winter base at Palm Beach Downs, where he recorded four works in December, including a five-furlong breeze Dec. 19 in 1:00.70, earning the bullet from eight workers at the distance.

"We're very happy with the way he's training," Pletcher said. "We decided to get him back on the dirt. He broke his maiden on dirt and ran a respectable third in the Hopeful, so we'll see where we are with him."

The field also includes John Bowers' Pickin' Time, who posted a 2 1/4-length victory in the Nov. 8 Nashua Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack. Like the Mucho Macho Man, the Nashua is a one-turn mile. Trained by Kelly Breen, the son of Stay Thirsty  will be looking for his third stakes win off a fourth-place finish in the Dec. 5 Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct.

A pair of Florida-bred runners entered off of big efforts against state-breds are intriguing. Breaking from the outside under jockey Paco Lopez will be Big Thorn, a homebred son of The Big Beast  owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong. Big Thorn rolled to a 4 1/2-length score in an off-the-turn edition of the Juvenile Turf Stakes Nov. 22 at Gulfstream Park West. That restricted stakes win at seven furlongs followed a five-length maiden score over state-breds at six furlongs.

Video: Juvenile Turf S. (BT)

OGMA Investments and Off The Hook's Jirafales, a son of Social Inclusion, turned heads when he rallied from eighth early to win his 6 1/2-furlong maiden debut against state breds by 4 3/4 lengths Nov. 19 at Gulfstream Park West.

Entries: Mucho Macho Man S.

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 02, 2021, Race 10

• STK
• 1m
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 3 yo
• 4:45 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Ultimate Badger (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	120	Dale L. Romans	15/1
2	2Jirafales (FL)	Cristian A. Torres	118	Gustavo Delgado	15/1
3	3Easy Time (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Mark E. Casse	12/1
4	4Kiger (KY)	Edgard J. Zayas	118	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	8/1
5	5Mutasaabeq (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	5/2
6	6Awesome Gerry (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	6/1
7	7Pickin' Time (NJ)	Joe Bravo	122	Kelly J. Breen	3/1
8	8Raison d'Air (KY)	Luca Panici	118	Katherine Ritvo	12/1
9	9Papetu (KY)	Leonel Reyes	120	Antonio Sano	20/1
10	10Big Thorn (FL)	Paco Lopez	120	David Fawkes	5/1