Older Horse Stakes

By Navshin Chatur

image: depositphotos

While most of the racing world will be focusing on the three-year-olds at Gulfstream, Santa Anita and Tampa, there are two important races going on for the older horse division. First is the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap at Gulfstream Park.
The one-turn, one-mile drew a field of only six, but it is a deep field. Of the six there are three graded stakes winners including a Grade 1 belonging to Jackson Bend, who is not even the favorite.

Instead, favoritism landed with Mucho Macho Man, who will be cutting back a furlong in distance after winning the Sunshine Millions classic in his last start. Prior to that, MMM won a mile race at Aqueduct.
As a three-year-old Mucho Macho Man was one of the top prospects in the country. He won the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds then was third in the Kentucky Derby, sixth in the Preakness and seventh in the Belmont.

It will be interesting to see if jockey Ramon Dominguez hooks up with Tackleberry, who drew to his outside. Tackleberry was a beast at Gulfstream Park winning three of four including this race. He is likely to be on the front-end when the gates open for jockey Rajiv Maragh, who rode MMM in four starts before being taken off in the Belmont.