Mucho Macho Man

Mucho Macho Man
Mucho Macho Man after winning the 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic
Sire	Macho Uno
Grandsire	Holy Bull
Dam	Ponche De Leona
Damsire	Ponche
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	June 15, 2008[1]
Country	United States
Color	Bay
Breeder	John D. Rio & Carole A. Rio[2]
Owner	Reeves Thoroughbred Racing
Trainer	Katherine Ritvo
Record	25: 9–5–6[2]
Earnings	US$ 5,625,410
Major wins
Risen Star Stakes (2011) Sunshine Millions Classic (2012, 2014) Gulfstream Park Handicap (2012) Suburban Handicap (2012) Awesome Again Stakes (2013) Breeders' Cup Classic (2013)
Awards
Secretariat Vox Populi Award 2013[3] NTRA Moment of the Year[4] Florida-bred Horse of the Year 2013[5]

Mucho Macho Man (foaled June 15, 2008) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic. He was foaled in Florida and named after the Village People song "Macho Man". His breeders were Carole and John Rio of Florida, who owned his dam. His foalhood nickname was "Lazarus" because he appeared lifeless at birth, but spontaneously revived. He grew to be a very large horse, standing over 17 hands (68 inches, 173 cm) high. Throughout most of his racing career, Mucho Macho Man was primarily owned by Dean and Patti Reeves of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing of Suwanee, Georgia. They purchased a majority interest in him after his first race in 2010, and in 2012 became his sole owners. In February 2014, Frank Stronach purchased an undisclosed share in the horse on behalf of his Adena Springs Farms, owner of Mucho Macho Man's sire, Macho Uno.

When Dean and Patti Reeves purchased the horse, they placed him with horse trainer Tim Ritvo, who shortly thereafter began a job with Gulfstream Park. Training duties were turned over to Tim's wife and fellow trainer Kathy Ritvo, who trained Mucho Macho Man from his fourth race on. His racing career was supported by a close-knit team, led by Ritvo and the Reeves as well as Reeves' racing manager Finn Green. Mucho Macho Man was ridden in races by several top jockeys, including Rajiv Maragh, Ramon Dominguez, Mike Smith, Edgar Prado and Gary Stevens.

Because Mucho Macho Man was born late in the year for a Thoroughbred foal, as a growing two- and three-year-old he had to compete against horses that were several months older and more mature. He was also very tall, and as a young racehorse sometimes got in his own way; as a three-year-old, he stepped on his front feet with his hind feet and tore off a horseshoe in two different races. In 2011, he competed in all three Triple Crown races, coming in third in the Kentucky Derby. Following a five-month layoff due to surgery that addressed a problem with his breathing, he returned to the track in November 2011 with a win, won three graded stakes races in 2012, and finished a close second to Fort Larned in that year's Breeders' Cup Classic.

In 2013, after overcoming a respiratory virus early in the year, he ran two races on the east coast, finishing third both times, and then was shipped early to Santa Anita Park to prepare for that year's Breeders' Cup. He won a preparatory race, the Awesome Again Stakes, his seventh win overall and his first Grade I win. This qualified him for the 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic, which he won, narrowly defeating Will Take Charge and Declaration of War. His success earned him the Secretariat Vox Populi Award and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Moment of the Year as well as two Eclipse Award nominations and 2013 Florida-bred Horse of the Year. Sportswriter Steve Haskin, who followed the horse's career for The Blood-Horse, stated that the saga "provided enough uplifting human interest stories to fill a book".^[6] Mucho Macho Man returned to the track in January 2014 with a decisive win in the Sunshine Millions Classic, but finished fourth in the Santa Anita Handicap. He remained in training, still essentially sound, but following the discovery of bruising on his fetlocks and other signs of "wear and tear", he was retired in July 2014.

The stallion began to stand at stud in the 2015 breeding season at Adena Springs. His offspring began racing in 2018, and in 2020 his 4-year-old son Mucho Gusto won the Pegasus World Cup. As of 2023^[update] he stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms in Paris, Kentucky.