Mucho Macho Man to race in 2014

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Hallandale Beach, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Breeders' Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man will remain in training for a 2014 campaign. The 5-year-old's connections made the announcement Wednesday.

"We just decided for sure (Tuesday) that we're going to target the Breeders' Cup again at Santa Anita," said Finn Green, stable manager of Dean and Patti Reeves' Reeves Thoroughbred Racing. "The front end of the season right now is wide open. Kathy (trainer Ritvo) and I are going to do some evaluating over the next few months and make some decisions about how Kathy is going to start him off."

Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Mucho Macho Man, ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, won the $5 million Classic by a nose over Will Take Charge on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Santa Anita. Last year he was second to Fort Larned in the 1 1/4-mile Classic.

"He's shown us all the right signs and shown us he wants to be on the track," said Ritvo. "He's looks great. He just loves his job. We've all put him first -- the racing manager, the assistant trainer, the groom, everyone. We've gone out of our way to help him become a good horse."

The 5-year-old has earned $5,340,410 with eight wins in 23 career starts.

He came into the Breeders' Cup Classic off a decisive victory in the Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita. However, his early races were less than superb. He failed to finish the Florida Sunshine Millions Classic in January and posted third-place results in his next two starts.

After skipping the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga, he came back strong to close 2013 with his only two wins of the year.

"The horse is potentially extremely versatile," Green said. "We plan on working the horse on the turf towards the end of the month and Kathy and I will make a decision after that work about turf for him this year."