After just a nose separated first- and second-place finishers Mucho Macho Man and Will Take Charge in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., the two horses are geared up for an exhilarating rematch this Saturday in the Santa Anita Handicap. This year, the Big 'Cap, as it is commonly referred to, has one of the most thrilling fields of horses running since its creation in 1935. A mile and a quarter in length, the race is for horses who are four-years-old and over, and boasts a purse of $750,000. It is also a Grade I, the highest level of competition in horse racing. The race will be covered live at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports 1 on Saturday, March 8.
Mucho Macho Man
Mucho Macho Man's story certainly tugs at the public's heartstrings. The big colt, named after the Village People song "Macho Man," originally gained recognition when he finished third at the Kentucky Derby in 2011. Last year, he won the Breeders' Cup Classic for Kathy Ritvo, a recent heart transplant recipient and the first female trainer to win the prestigious race. His jockey, 51-year-old Gary Stevens, came out of an eight-year-long retirement to pilot "Macho" in his victorious 2013 campaign. Like most of his 2011 Derby colleagues, Mucho Macho Man - owned by Dean and Patti Reeves - could have retired to a successful stud career after his 2013 season. Instead, his owners kept him in training, much to the excitement of his fans. He is coming in off a three-race winning streak: In his last race, the $400,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Classic, he demolished the field by 14 lengths (about 112 feet).
Will Take Charge
Mucho Macho Man's main competition lies in four-year-old Will Take Charge, who was voted last year's Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse. Since his unremarkable Triple Crown run, where his top result was a distant seventh in the Preakness, Will Take Charge has blossomed. Trained by the 78-year-old Racing Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas and owned by Willis D. Horton, the colt found his best form in August when he won the Grade I $1 million Travers Stakes, beating the Kentucky Derby winner Orb and Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice in the process. Known for his late-flying runs, Will Take Charge won the Grade II Pennsylvania Derby with jockey Luis Saez, before losing by a nose to Mucho Macho Man at the Breeders' Cup Classic. He finished the year with a win in the Grade I Clark Handicap in Kentucky over another entrant, Game on Dude. In his first race this year, he lost to Claiborne Farm's Lea in the Grade I Donn Handicap, but is looking to rebound this coming weekend.
The field
A third competitor looking to challenge the two favorites is local hero Game on Dude, who won the 2011 and 2013 editions of the Santa Anita Handicap. Trained by Bob Baffert, Game on Dude is co-owned by former MLB MVP player Joe Torre, who led the New York Yankees to four World Series victories as manager.
After winning five consecutive races in 2013, Dude placed a disappointing ninth in the Breeders' Cup Classic. He then ran a close second to Will Take Charge in the Clark Handicap. Ridden by Mike Smith, Game on Dude is a seven-year-old gelding who has claimed 15 wins from 30--- starts.
A dark horse for the Santa Anita Handicap is Blingo, who won the last San Antonio Stakes, beating out Imperative and American Blend, who will also be returning for the Big 'Cap. Owned by Jerome and Ann Moss and trained by John Shirreffs, Blingo has the same connections as one of thoroughbred racing's biggest celebrities, Zenyatta. This is a big step up in class for him, as well as a stretch in distance.
