Mucho Gusto Draws Clear in Lazaro Barrera
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Mucho Gusto wins the Lazaro Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita Park
Michael Lund Petersen's Mucho Gusto rebounded from his last effort to lead nearly every step of the $100,000 Lazaro Barrera Stakes (G3) May 18 at Santa Anita Park. The seven-furlong test for sophomores leaves him 3-for-3 at sprint distances.
Mucho Gusto was among the handful of colts on the Kentucky Derby trail this spring for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. He scored a win at 1 1/16 miles in the Feb. 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) but was last seen finishing third—beaten six lengths—when stretched to 1 1/8 miles in the March 24 Sunland Park Derby (G3).
In Saturday's sprint, Mucho Gusto went to the front as usual. Jockey Joe Talamo used his rail advantage to take control from Principe Carlo and set fractions of :22.41 and :45.58 through the half-mile. Talamo allowed Vantastic to draw even as the six horses turned for home, but Mucho Gusto, the 1-2 favorite, spurted away once straight. The pair ticked off six furlongs in 1:10.40 and hit the wire in 1:22.96 on a fast main track, 3 1/4 lengths in front.
"I knew we wouldn't get an easy lead, so I looked around to see who was going to go with us," Talamo said. "I just wanted to get him out of there and get him comfortable. It's amazing how well this horse relaxes. He's drawn the rail a lot, and he's still able to relax after he gets serious pressure. Today, he took two or three breathers around the turn, and then he took off."
Manhattan Up got up for second by a head over Vantastic, with Sparky Ville, Synthesis, and Principe Carlo completing the order of finish.
Mucho Gusto was bred in Kentucky by Teneri Farm and Bernardo Alvarez Calderon. He is among Mucho Macho Man 's first crop and is the third foal out of the winning Giant's Causeway mare Itsagiantcauseway, who also has a yearling colt by Jack Milton and an Alpha filly born April 24.
Mucho Gusto went through the auction ring four times, with Petersen purchasing him for $625,000 from the Kirkwood Stables consignment to last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The chestnut colt was a $55,000 RNA two months earlier in Ocala, Fla., a $95,000 yearling, and a $14,000 short yearling.
Mucho Gusto has a 4-1-1 record from six starts, with $370,800 in earnings. He made a splash as a juvenile, winning on debut going six furlongs at Los Alamitos Race Course, then went an extra eighth-mile to win the Bob Hope Stakes (G3) at Del Mar before finishing second to stablemate Improbable in the Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity (G1) around two turns.
"He's a pleasure to ride. Anybody could ride this horse," Talamo added. "He definitely is really good seven-eighths to a mile—he can for sure go two turns. After he broke his maiden, I started working him a lot in Del Mar. He never acted like a 2-year-old, he acted like an older horse."