2013 Breeders' Cup Classic Winner
June 15 Mucho Macho Man
This big boy will probably be the last horse birthday for this year (Northern Hemisphere). Mucho Macho Man is the poster boy for breeding as late as July!
He was raced by Dean and Patti Reeves and was trained by Kathi Ritvo. As many of you may know, Kathi had a heart transplant and came back to train Mucho Macho Man to win the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Mucho Macho Man's primary jockey early on was Ibar **spelled differently in next post**Coa. Coa suffered a career-ending injury that left him paralyzed for about a year. The next time Mucho Macho Man raced, he won at the Fair Grounds with Rajiv Maragh. The Reeves paid a full jockey's share of the purse to Ibar Coa, which is still one of the classiest moves I've witnessed in racing, and don't get me wrong, this sport is filled with kind and charitable people, but the Reeves really went a step above.
I'm not sure if this is 100% correct, (Patti correct me if this isn't right) Dean was going to buy the horse named Gourmet Dinner, but the story goes that Dean said, "Call me crazy, but I think I like the horse that ran second more.". That horse was Mucho Macho Man. Appropriately Dean would later name another horse Call Me Crazy.
This Breeders' Cup Classic winner is also the unofficial reason that some breeding sheds stay open until July!
Despite his late birth date, he is a huge horse that was bigger than most January and February foals by the end of their two-year-old campaigns. After that, it was just a matter of how good he was going to be, trained by the only trainer who had a heart transplant, Kathy Ritvo, for owners, Dean and Patti Reeves. Through it all, the Reeves were Ritvo's biggest supporters on and off the track as their stable star remained in her care.
For all that Mucho Macho Man did on the racetrack, I always think of his win in the Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds. Leading up to that race, his regular jockey had become Eibar Coa. Just weeks before the Risen Star, Coa was seriously injured and never rode again (they thought he'd never walk again). After Mucho Macho Man's victory, the Reeves paid a full jockey's share to the winning jockey, Rajiv Maragh, and a full share to Eibar Coa in his hospital room. While I believe that the best part of this sport is the horses, sometimes the people shine just as brightly.
Mucho Macho Man was one of the most beloved horses of the 2010s, a tough campaigner with one of the most amazing life stories in racing. He was foaled in 2008 and famously came into the world looking lifeless, only to be revived and rallied back to health by his breeders. He was trained by Kathy Ritvo, a heart transplant survivor, for owners Dean and Patti Reeves of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing. His sire was Macho Uno, the 2000 Breeders Cup Juvenile winner, and his dam was Ponche de Leona, a daughter of Ponche.
Mucho Macho Man ran on the 2011 Triple Crown trail and proved he was a serious horse. He hit the board in the 2011 Kentucky Derby, finishing third behind Animal Kingdom and Nehro. He came back in the 2011 Preakness Stakes and ran sixth, then finished third in the 2011 Belmont Stakes behind Ruler On Ice. The Triple Crown season set him up for big things in his older horse career.
He kept improving year after year, a rare trait. He won the 2012 Sunshine Millions Classic and the Suburban Handicap that summer. He took on the best older horses in the 2012 Breeders Cup Classic at Santa Anita and finished fourth, just a length behind the winner Fort Larned. The big breakthrough came the next year. He won the 2013 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita as a key Breeders Cup prep.
The 2013 Breeders Cup Classic at Santa Anita was the crowning moment of his career. Mucho Macho Man, ridden by jockey Gary Stevens, ran a brave race and held off Will Take Charge and Declaration of War in a thrilling photo finish to win by a nose. The win was one of the great moments of the meet and gave Kathy Ritvo her first Breeders Cup victory. Mucho Macho Man retired with 8 wins from 24 starts and earnings of over 5.6 million dollars.
He went to stud at Adena Springs South in Florida and later other farms, where he became a popular sire. Mucho Macho Man is remembered for his classic toughness, his late blooming brilliance, and his amazing life story, the colt who almost did not make it to his first day and ended up winning the biggest race in America.
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