After failing to fully extend himself on a sloppy track in the
Florida Sunshine Millions Classic on Jan. 19, Mucho Macho Man was
nominated for the $500,000 Donn Handicap (G1) at Gulfstream on Feb. 9.
After weighing their options, the 5-year-old Florida-bred’s connections
will take a pass on the 1 1/8-mile handicap.
“After considering the Donn as an option, we’ve decided to pass,”
trainer Kathy Ritvo said. “It does not fit as well into our long-term
objectives for Mucho Macho Man as others do.”
Mucho Macho Man, whose only other poor race came over a sloppy track
in the Belmont Stakes, had finished a close second behind Fort Larned
in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita prior to the Florida
Sunshine Millions Classic, in which he was taken in hand by jockey Mike
Smith after struggling with the surface.