Bob Baffert, who seemingly lost his best chance at taking down this year's GI Runhappy Travers S. when his champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) was declared from the race last week, will have a hopeful in the Midsummer Derby after all, as Michael Lund Petersen's Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man) will make the cross-country ship after a bullet five-furlong workout Monday. The chestnut's entry brings the prospective Travers field to 12.
A four-time graded stakes winner, the 'TDN Rising Star' most recently finished second in the GI TVG.com Haskell Invitational, and covered five panels in :59 1/5 (1/39) Monday at Del Mar.
“He came out of the Haskell really well, and he breezed [Monday] morning, and went really well, really strong,” said Baffert. “When they work like that, I like to run them the next week. With that work, he punched his own ticket to the Travers. We think he's ready to do something big.”
Baffert added that Mucho Gusto will ship to Saratoga Tuesday, with assistant Jimmy Barnes coming in for the race and regular rider Joe Talamo having the call.
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