Hallandale Beach, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Juan and Bina along with Brother
Bobo, both second in their last starts, are among nine 3-year-olds entered in
Saturday’s $100,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Formerly the Gulfstream Park Derby, the Mucho Macho Man is a mile stakes that
begins Gulfstream’s stakes series for 3-year-olds leading to the $1 million
Florida Derby on March 28.
Juan and Bina is the 5-2 second choice in the morning line behind 2-1
favorite Mawthooq with Brother Bobo the 9-2 third pick. The three favorites
will break from outside posts 7, 9 and 8, repsectively.
Juan and Bina, who will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado, is
coming off a second in the one-mile Smooth Air Stakes on Nov. 29 at Gulfstream
Park West, formerly Calder Race Course. Trained by Gustavo Delgado, the colt
won his debut effort on Sept. 26 at a mile.
Brother Bobo, trained by Jason Servis, was second by a neck at Gulfstream Park
West in the six-furlong Buffalo Man Stakes on Nov. 29, just over a month after
scoring in his debut start over 5 1/2 furlongs. Gabriel Saez has the mount for
the second straight time aboard the chestnut colt.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin will saddle Mawthooq with Hall of Fame jockey John
Velazquez riding. The chestnut colt, making his third lifetime start, is owned
by Shadwell Stable.
“He’s had a couple of nice works. He’s a nice colt and ready to go,” said
McLaughlin. “We’ll see how we stand.”
Mawthooq got his career underway at Belmont Park on Oct. 11 with a distant
second going six furlongs. On Nov. 26 at Aqueduct the colt ran away to win
a mile race by 10 1/2 lengths with Cornelio Velasquez riding for the second
time.
“We hooked a very nice colt the first time out who we finished second to,”
McLaughlin said. “The next out he won easy on a wet track, so you never know,
but he’s a really nice horse.
“He always trained good. He’s straightforward. He was a little keen early in
his last race, but Cornelio (Velasquez) did a nice job trying to slow him down
early. He’s done everything right since that race. Ask me April 15th how we
like him, but right now we like him a lot.”
Here is the field for the Mucho Macho Man in post position order: Dekabrist,
Oriel Chavez, 30-1; Ami’s Flatter, Luis Contreras, 15-1; Bluegrass Singer,
Javier Castellano, 5-1; A. Rod Again, Julien Leparoux, 6-1; Twotwentyfive A,
Jesus Rios, 20-1; Honest, Paco Lopez, 10-1; Juan and Bina, Edgar Prado, 5-2;
Brother Bobo, Gabriel Saez, 9-2 and Mawthooq, John Velazquez, 2-1.
Post time for the Mucho Macho Man Stakes will be approximately 5:01 p.m. ET.
