Mucho Del Oro earned second stakes win in San Simeon under Juan Hernandez. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Purple Rein Racing’s $50,000 Claim Scores On The Hillside Turf Course
Mike Willman/Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.—Mucho Del Oro earned his second stakes victory and first for trainer Doug O’Neill and owner Purple Rein Racing when prevailing by half a length in Saturday’s GIII, $100,000 San Simeon Stakes going 6 ½ furlongs on the hillside turf course.
Mucho Del Oro and Juan Hernandez grabbed the lead after breaking sharply, but quickly had company on the front-end. Both Dancing Buck and Air Force Red pressed on the outside as Mucho Del Oro set fractions of 22.36 and 44.31 for the opening half mile.
It remained that way as the field passed the dirt crossing into the stretch. Air Force Red began to falter in the stretch, eventually finishing second-to-last, but Mucho Del Oro and Dancing Buck continued their confrontation. Mucho Del Oro held a one-length lead at the eighth pole and then dutifully kept to task to ultimately prevail by a half -length.
Dancing Buck trained by Richard Dutrow Jr. and ridden by Edwin Maldonado, held on for second by a neck over 2-1 favorite Lane Way with another neck back to Sumter in fourth. Mucho Del Oro paid $7.80, $4.20 and $3.00. Dancing Buck returned $6.20 and $4.00. Lane Way paid $2.60 to show.
The winning time for about 6 ½ furlongs on a turf listed as good was 1:12.76.
A 6-year-old gelding by Mucho Macho Man, Mucho Del Oro improves to 9-2-0 in 17 starts with $355,100 in earnings. Janie Buss’ Purple Rein Racing claimed Mucho Del Oro for $50,000 last June at Santa Anita. Subsequently sent to the sidelines, he returned almost seven months later to be second by a nose Jan. 28 in Clockers’ Corner Stakes on the hillside turf course.
Mucho Del Oro’s only other stakes win came in last year’s Cotton Fitzsimmons Mile Handicap at Turf Paradise for trainer Vladimir Cerin.
Post time for a nine-race card Sunday is at 1 p.m. With admission gates opening at 11 a.m.
