Like many Todd Pletcher trainees, Sonic Mule has blossomed down in Florida, and earned his third-straight win and second in a stakes race here. A debut winner by daylight at Monmouth in July, Sonic Mule crossed the wire a distant fourth behind Gunnevera (Dialed In) in the GII Saratoga Special S. the following month, and was moved up a spot by the stewards. Third stretched to this trip in Monmouth's Sapling S. Sept. 4, he completed the exacta when trying local grass in the Oct. 1 Armed Forces S. A two-length optional claiming victor at Gulfstream Park West Nov. 3, he added the Buffalo Man S. over Talk Logistics sprinting in the slop here Dec. 10, and was forced to stretch back out to eight panels this time when the GIII Hutcheson S. scheduled for this card failed to fill. Well held to stalk from just off the pace and out in the clear, the bay inched into second on the bend after a half in :45.85. Longshot State of Honor ranged up and was a major threat as noses pointed for home, but Sonic Mule showed dogged determination to stiff-arm that opponent to the wire. The winner's Medaglia d'Oro half-brother brought $630,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga this past summer. His dam produced a Curlin colt this spring before passing away. Second dam Trip was a three-time graded stakes winner and earner of nearly $900,000. This is the female family of good MGISW sprinter Zensational (Unbridled's Song), as well as MGSP Mucho Macho Man also-ran Recruiting Ready (Algorithms).
MUCHO MACHO MAN S., $100,000, GP, 1-7, 3yo, 1m, 1:37.52, ft.
1–SONIC MULE, 120, c, 3, by Distorted Humor
1st Dam: Globe Trot, by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Trip, by Lord At War (Arg)
3rd Dam: Tour, by Forty Niner
($175,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Calumet Farm; B-WinStar Farm,
LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Javier Castellano. $58,280.
Lifetime Record: GSP, 7-4-1-2, $186,455.[bullet ad=”winstar-bred”][bullet ad=”selectsales-shell”][bullet ad=”winstar-eligible-youre-a-winner”]2–State of Honor, 116, c, 3, To Honor and Serve–State Cup, by
Elusive Quality. O-Conrad Farms; B-Manfred & Penny Conrad
(ON); T-Mark E. Casse. $18,800.[bullet ad=”ontario-bred”][bullet ad=”brookdale-madden-mating”]3–Talk Logistics, 116, c, 3, High Cotton–Alotofappeal, by Trippi.
($100,000 2yo '16 OBSAPR). O-Hardway Stables; B-Ocala Stud
& Edward Wiest (FL); T-Edward Plesa, Jr. $9,400.
Margins: HD, 1 1/4, 4 1/4. Odds: 4.70, 13.40, 7.20.
Also Ran: Sweetontheladies, Han Sense, Cavil, Perro Rojo, Skyler's Scramjet, Even Thunder, Recruiting Ready, Hemsworth.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
