Resurrection, a heart transplant, miracles and The Village People; the incredible story of Mucho Macho Man as he prepares for the Kentucky Derby.
By Sean Nolan
The Kentucky Derby is horse racing in the US. Pure and simple. The Breeders’ Cup Classic may be worth more to the winner, but it’s a child in historical terms compared to the Derby. The first Breeders’ Cup was won by Wild Again in 1984; the first Kentucky Derby was won by Aristedes more than 100 years beforehand in 1875. It claims to be the longest continuous sports event in America.
Greatest story of all?
Like all grand races anywhere in the world, its longevity has produced incredible stories over the years, from the first filly to win the race, Regret, in 1915, to Secretariat’s demolition of the field in 1973. But looking to this year’s renewal on Saturday night, there is potential for perhaps the greatest story of all if Mucho Macho Man wins the ‘Race for the Roses’.
That the bay colt is even here at all is something of a miracle. Foaled three weeks past its due date, when he was born it appeared he was dead, before he eventually sparked to life and ran out of the stable. Unsurprisingly, he was called Lazarus in the yard of small thoroughbred breeder Carole Rio until he went into training.
Initially owned by a large consortium that had paid as little as $800 each for a 1 per cent share, Mucho Macho Man is now majority owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, but the Dream Team consortium and Rio still hold small shares in the horse.
Two of a kind
Mucho Macho Man was placed with trainer Kathy Ritvo in the summer of 2009 and, like him, she was lucky to be alive.
Ritvo was diagnosed as having cardiomyopathy – a degenerative heart muscle disease – in 2001. She had severe symptoms and by 2008 she was hospitalised while she waited for a suitable heart donor.
Ritvo watched the 2008 Derby from her hospital bed before she underwent a 17-hour heart transplant operation in November of that year. Thankfully, it was a success and she was able to resume training duties just in time for the arrival of the big horse.
Ritvo toweling her Kentucky Derby hopeful
The tall Mucho Macho Man achieved solid second places in his first two outings before a disappointing fourth in the Kentucky Derby prep race the Holy Bull which left some doubting his ability.
Miracle
Next up was another warm up race, the Risen Star, and his future as contender at Churchill Downs depended on a good showing. The day before the race, February 18, Mucho Macho Man’s jockey Elbar Coa took a horrific fall and was hospitalised with a suspected fractured vertebrae.
Rajiv Maragh, a young jockey from Jamaica, took the ride and piloted Mucho home to a stunning victory. Even more incredible was Coa’s performance.
“In all my years of neurosurgery never have I seen a case, an event, this impressive and this miraculous. To have a man who’s completely paralyzed from the neck down — a complete quadriplegic — and then be able to get up and walk is an extremely rare event,” said Dr. Scott Berta, the doctor who performed two surgeries to stabilise and repair Coa’s injury. “And do to it so quickly on top of it is pretty much unheard of.”
The Venezuelan jockey walked out of hospital on April 15, and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing gave him a cheque for $18,000, his share of the winnings if he had been aboard for the Risen Star.
Coa still has a way to go before he can ride again, so Maragh will be aboard on Saturday night. The young man learned his trade on the Jamaican horse racing circuit before moving to New York aged 19. Riding in the US for seven years now, he is slowly climbing the ranks but a win on Saturday will catapult him into stardom.
Irish interest
Mucho Macho Man had one more pre-Kentucky prep, finishing third in the Louisiana Derby, behind two other contenders for the Kentucky showpiece, Pants On Fire and Nehro. That form has him at 12-1 to win the race, with Uncle Mo and Dialed In the co-favourites at 4-1. Irish interest will be in Aidan O’Brien’s Master of Hounds, a 14-1 shot.
After the Louisiana race, disco legends The Village People were alerted to the fact that the horse had a very similar name to one of their biggest hits, and the group officially declared their support for its Kentucky Derby bid on their website. The horse has a signed photo from the group hanging in its stall at the home of American racing.
Resurrection, a heart transplant, miracles and the Village People; if Hollywood is looking for a follow up to Seabiscuit and Secretariat, join them in a silent wish for Mucho Macho Man to take the crown on Saturday night.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
