MUGARITZ KEEPS 2019 UNBEATEN RECORD INTACT IN JOSEPH T. GRACE STAKES
Berkeley, Calif. (November 2, 2019)-4-year-old gelding Mugaritz is a perfect 4 for 4 in 2019 after a hard-fought victory in Saturday’s feature race at Golden Gate Fields, the $50,000 Joseph T. Grace Stakes for 3-year-olds and upward on turf.
Trained by Jonathan Wong, the son of Kentucky stallion Dialed In stalked the pace after a subpar break from the gate. Mugaritz took the lead at the eighth pole before fighting off a strong challenge from runner up finisher Camino Del Paraiso. The win margin was a neck.
“He loves the competition,” said winning jockey Ricky Gonzalez. “He wanted to go after the leader at the half mile pole and I said, ‘Ok buddy, you do your thing.’ When [Camino Del Paraiso] came up alongside in the stretch, [Mugaritz] just pinned his ears back and kept on going. He’s a very game horse and he’s really sharp right now.”
Mugaritz completed the mile and a sixteenth in 1:43.27 seconds. Camino Del Paraiso had to settle for second after challenging Mugaritz for the length of the lane. The second Wong entrant, Sixes, set the pace for the majority of the race and held third over 8-5 favorite Grecian Fire and 6-1 shot Builder. Arch Prince, Tortosa, Café Flavor and Respect the Hustle completed the field of nine.
Mugaritz went off as the second choice in the wagering and paid $5.80 to win. Mugaritz, privately purchased out of his maiden-breaking win by owner Alejandro Mercado, has improved his lifetime record to 7 wins from 12 starts, with 1 second place finish. The dark bay or brown gelding has earned $167,125.
“This is the best horse I have ever owned,” said Mercado. “I’ll sit down with Jonathan [Wong] and we’ll figure out where to run him next. Hopefully, we put him in the right spot.”
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