Blame’s Mucho Returns a Winner at Gulfstream

[Wandering Eyes]

MUCHO (c, 3, Blame–Extent, by Pulpit) had to work a bit more for it than his 1-2 odds suggested he might have needed to, but the ‘TDN Rising Star‘ kicked off his sophomore season on a winning note Friday at Gulfstream. Second on debut at Belmont last June, the homebred aired by 9 3/4 lengths in fast time to don cap and gown at Saratoga in August. He’d last been seen finishing a close second to Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) as the favorite in the Spa’s Sept. 3 GI Hopeful S., but exited that event with an ankle issue. Mucho had fired three straight bullet breezes at trainer Bill Mott’s Payson Park base for this, but broke a half-step slow from the rail and was briefly shuffled back before pilot Jose Ortiz pushed him through to sit third. Impressive debut winner Lutsky (Yes It’s True) showed the way with Releasethethunder (More Than Ready) in hot pursuit, but by midway on the turn Mucho had caught up to that pair while three deep. They hit the quarter pole in :45.53, and Mucho began to inch away from his rivals in the lane, ultimately crossing the wire about 1 1/4 lengths to the good of Releasethethunder in 1:10.35. Lutsky held on for third. The winner is a half to fellow Mott trainee Size (First Samurai), GSW, $212,453, the 2-year-old colt Extreme (Speightstown); and a yearling colt by Curlin. His dam, who hails from deep female family that includes the likes of Nureyev, Archipenko and Mucho’s sire Blame himself, was barren to Ghostzapper last breeding season. Lifetime Record: GISP, 4-2-2-0.
O/B-Claiborne Farm & Adele B Dilschneider (Ky). T-William I Mott.

 

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