Mucho Unusual Heads Megahertz Stakes

Owner and breeder George Krikorian's California-bred Mucho Unusual, who has never been off the board in eight starts over the Santa Anita Park lawn, heads the $100,000 Megahertz Stakes (G3T) for fillies and mares at a mile on turf Jan. 18.

Also figuring prominently is highly regarded Chilean import Brooke, a 5-year-old No Nay Never mare idle since March 14, who will be making her United States debut for trainer Simon Callaghan.

Tim Yakteen-conditioned Mucho Unusual, a 5-year-old daughter of Mucho Macho Man  out of the Unusual Heat mare Not Unusual, comes off an authoritative three-quarters-of-a-length win going 1 1/8 miles in the Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G3T) Dec. 27. She will cut back in distance a furlong and be ridden by Joel Rosario, who rode her to a pair of wins from four tries at age 3. Well beaten in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at 1 3/16 miles two starts back Nov. 7 at Keeneland, Mucho Unusual before that took the Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1T) at 1 1/4 miles Sept. 26. Although she's cutting back in distance, Mucho Unusual has three wins and as many thirds from seven tries at a flat mile on grass.

Brooke, owned by El Tato Stables and bred in Chile by Haras Don Alberto, won the Las Oaks (G1) in her native country in December 2019. In her last start, she was well beaten in a group 2 on heavy turf going a mile in Argentina. 

Favored in six out of eight career starts, Brooke has five wins and two seconds and has defeated a total of 75 horses in the process. She has seven local works to her credit dating back Nov. 21, with her last six drills coming at five furlongs. Brooke will be ridden by Jeremy Laprida, who is currently based at Parx Racing. Laprida has ridden Brooke in all eight of her lifetime starts.

George and Martha Schwary Racing's Ippodamia's Girl, idle since third going 5 1/2 furlongs in the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes (G3T) Nov. 2, 2019, and Ruis Racing's consistent California-bred Sedamar both seek their first graded stakes victories in the Megahertz.

Doug Branham, Richard Baltas, and Jerry McClanahan's grade 2-placed Colonial Creed is also in the field. Lucky Peridot was entered, but ran in the Jan. 17 Astra Stakes (G3T) in which she finished fourth.

Entries: Megahertz S. (G3T)

Santa Anita Park, Monday, January 18, 2021, Race 7

• Grade IIIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:40 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Brooke (CHI)	Jeremy Laprida	120	Simon Callaghan	4/1
2	2Colonial Creed (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Richard Baltas	7/2
3	3Lucky Peridot (FL)	Abel Cedillo	120	Peter Miller	8/1
4	4Mucho Unusual (CA)	Joel Rosario	124	Tim Yakteen	9/5
5	5Ippodamia's Girl (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	120	Richard Baltas	8/1
6	6Sedamar (CA)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	120	Shelbe Ruis	5/2