Whereas many of the nationwide consideration this weekend is keyed to locations like Keeneland, Aqueduct Racetrack, Santa Anita Park, and Laurel Park, the place the Maryland Million might be celebrated as soon as once more, the liveliest crowd will descend upon California’s twenty first Agricultural District within the state’s huge Central Valley to take a chunk out of horse racing on the Large Fresno Truthful.
How massive? Properly, greater than 600,000 people will parade via the Fresno Fairgrounds by the point the truthful ends its two-week run Oct. 14. portion of these guests may have wandered into the racing house, the place the game is performed on a one-mile monitor of sandy loam laid round an infield full of automobiles and timber. Certainly one of them, unhappy to say, won’t be coach Doug O’Neill, who might be tending to enterprise at Santa Anita Oct. 13 when the steady runs Mucino in Fresno’s $50,000 Bull Canine Stakes.
“I used to be there a very long time in the past, they usually placed on an amazing present,” O’Neill mentioned, though he couldn’t pinpoint the exact reminiscence.
The Fresno Truthful broke cowl in 1884, presenting harness racing as its important attraction. Through the early days of World Struggle II, the fairgrounds have been used as a staging space for Japanese-Individuals on their strategy to being interned in camps scattered throughout america. Later, the U.S. Military Air Pressure used the truthful as a coaching floor and just about trashed the place, requiring its rebirth with new services in 1948 after a darkish seven years.
As of late, the Fresno racing program is likely one of the final wholesome stops on the once-thriving Northern California truthful circuit, which additionally contains Pleasanton, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, and Ferndale. As soon as Fresno wraps up Oct. 14, the circuit will start its nice experiment with three months’ value of sport at Pleasanton beneath the banner of Golden State Racing, as a hopeful alternative for the dates deserted by 1/ST Racing on the closure of Golden Gate Fields. The destiny of a two-region racing calendar hangs within the steadiness.
O’Neill’s expertise with Fresno might have been way back to 2001, when he ran the maiden claimer Park Metropolis Purple on the Large Fresno Truthful, or as lately as 2016, when O’Neill shipped Jimmy Bouncer to Fresno to win the $100,000 Harris Farms Stakes.
For the Bull Canine Stakes, named for the mascot of close by Fresno State College, Mucino might be accompanied on the journey from Los Angeles by Coalinga Highway , from the Carla Gaines barn, and Salesman , who made a splash final fall for Richard Mandella by profitable the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes (G2) on day two of the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita. The invaders will face seven locals, led by 7-year-old Lammas , winner of the San Francisco Mile Stakes (G3T).
By way of distance, the 1 1/8 miles of the Bull Canine might be form of slumming for Mucino. The son of Nyquist  final appeared on the Ferndale truthful, means up there within the redwoods, going spherical and around the half-mile monitor for 1 5/8 miles within the C. J. Hindley Humboldt County Marathon Handicap. Mucino led the sector the primary time previous the stands, the second time previous the stands, the third time previous the stands, and eventually on the wire, by 1 1/4 lengths over runner-up Druidic . To counsel that Mucino might have gone round once more and nonetheless received could be pushing it, however he and Cerapio Figueroa did pull up nicely in entrance of the opposition.
“He seems to be like a marathon-type horse for positive, however its laborious to search out even many 9- or 10-furlong races wherever,” O’Neill mentioned. “It seems he likes to cruise round there early, and nonetheless have quite a bit to complete with. Up to now, so good.”
O’Neill has loved success this yr with the sprinters Raging Torrent , Pleased Jack , and Mucho del Oro , however the massive horse within the barn as of late is Mixto , winner of the Pacific Basic Stakes (G1) in his most up-to-date begin, Aug. 31. The son of Good Magic  has been working steadily ever since, whereas passing up an opportunity to run within the $1 million California Crown Stakes (G1) alongside the best way. The Basic win gave Mixto a free cross to the Breeders’ Cup Basic (G1) Nov. 2 at Del Mar.
“Mixto has solely received twice, they usually have been each at Del Mar,” O’Neill mentioned. “One was a maiden and the opposite was a grade 1 race. It is a wacky enterprise. Knock on wooden, he is been in common coaching, and he clearly loves Del Mar, so why overthink it? The California Crown was a temptation, however we have been in a position to fend it off and simply look ahead to the Basic.”
In September of 2023, Mucino tried for the twelfth time to win a maiden race. He completed second within the Del Mar occasion—a morale booster if nothing else—then got here again a month later to interrupt his maiden at Santa Anita. O’Neill was requested if he recalled who completed third that day. The coach hesitated.
“Um, I wish to say … Mixto?”
Appropriate.
Mucino breaks his maiden at Santa Anita Park
Mucino hails from the 2020 crop of Nyquist that features such established stakes stars as Randomized , Xigera , Johannes , and Flying Connection . There have been excessive hopes for the same future when Mucino was bought for $115,000 as a 2-year-old by the Mercado Steady of Alejandro Mercado and his son, Alex Mercado. He was bred by Don Alberto.
On the finish of 2023, Mucino took a 1-for-14 file to the sidelines for a break and reappeared final June. A few second-place finishes set him up properly for his Ferndale journey.
“Being by Nyquist, I’ve acquired a mushy spot for him,” O’Neill mentioned, referring to one in every of his two winners of the Kentucky Derby (G1). “A few of them simply have to take the time. Should you do, they’ll come again stronger than ever. Mucino isn’t any exception to that, and all credit score goes to his homeowners for his or her endurance. We at all times thought there was one thing to him, so now we’ll see if we are able to have one other good day on the truthful.”
