Mucino certainly traveled a long way from his homebase to make his Stakes debut, but it was very much worth the trip for the four-year-old Nyquist gelding as he was never seriously threatened on his way to winning the C.J. Hindley Humboldt County Marathon at Ferndale on Sunday, 8 September.
Currently based at Del Mar with trainer Doug O’Neill, Mucino was vanned more than 700 miles north to face seven more experienced rivals at the marathon distance of 13 furlongs. Mucino’s lack of experience never became a factor, though, as the chestnut gelding obviously relished the distance, taking the lead after a half mile and never looking back on his way to cruising to a one-and-a-quarter length victory over Druidic.
Mucino was bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation and is out of Indian Tale, a winning daughter of Tale of the Cat that hails from the family of Amazing Maria (Champion older mare in England) and multiple Graded Stakes winners Clever Power, Integra and Secret Odds.
Mucino capped another successful weekend for his sire, Nyquist, who also was represented by the juvenile filly, Tenma, winner of the G1 Del Mar Debutante. Tenma became her sire’s fourth G1 winner this year, joining Randomized (G1 Ogden Phipps), Johannes (G1 Shoemaker Mile) and Immersive on the 2024 honor roll. For his career thus far, Nyquist has sired seven G1 winners including Vequist (Champion, G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, G1 Spinaway), Gretzky the Great (Champion, G1 Summer Stakes), and Slow Down Andy (G1 Awesome Again Stakes).
