Happy Birthday Macho Again
BY BROCK SHERIDAN
2005 – Florida-bred Macho Again, a future millionaire and multiple graded stakes-winner, was foaled on Feb. 25 at Milan Kosanovich’s Broken Back Farm in Ocala, Fla.
Kosanovich eventually sent Macho Again to consignor Beth Bayer to sell at the 2006 Ocala Breeders Sales August Yearling Sale where he was purchased by Crupi’s New Castle Farm for $85,000.
Kosanovich tells the story that J.J. Crupi conducted a vet check on Macho Again after the sale then turned him back. However, Crupi offered Kosanovich $50,000 for Macho Again instead of the sale price.
“I said to Crupi, ‘I really, really like this horse,’” Kosanovich explained. “I told him, ‘I’ll accept your offer with the proviso that if you don’t double your money, we’re done. But if you double your money, you owe me the rest of the money you bid.’”
Crupi would triple his investment on the young Macho Again, selling him for $150,000 to West Point Thoroughbreds at the 2007 OBS Selected Sale of Two-Year-Old in Training in February.
“I was just really lucky that he got with West Point,” Kosanovich said of Macho Again. “If I had owned the horse, he would have run in claiming races. He didn’t do well as a 2-year-old and early in his 3-year-old year, he didn’t run well in the LeCompte (G3) [finishing sixth]. He didn’t seem to find himself until [winning the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs in late April].
Trained by Dallas Stewart, Macho Again would finish second to Big Brown in the Preakness (G1) and fifth behind winner Da’ Tara in the Belmont (G1) before winning the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga in July.
As a 4-year-old, Macho Again would win the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap at Fair Grounds and the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs, but Kosanovich said his best race came later in 2009 in a losing effort.
“I went to all if his big races,” Kosanovich said. “I followed the horse as if I owned him. And I think his best race was against Rachel Alexandra in the Woodward.”
Sent to the post at 8-1 in the Grade 1 Woodward, Macho Again was last of eight, more than 15 lengths behind Rachel Alexandra, who had led for most of the mile-and-an-eighth as the 1-5 favorite. Jockey Robby Albarado then began send Macho Again at the leaders around the far turn with electrifying speed and was withing striking distance of Rachel Alexandra in deep stretch. Rachel Alexandra was still clear passing the sixteenth pole when Macho Again surprisingly found one more gear. He surged at the filly in the final strides but just missed, finishing second as Rachel Alexandra won by a desperate head.
“She beat him, but it was one of the best stretch runs I could remember,” Kosanovich said.
Macho Again retired in June of 2010 earning of $1,825,767 from six wins and six seconds in 24 career starts.
By Macho Uno, Macho Again is out of the Wild Again mare Go Donna Go, who also produced the graded-stakes-winning mare Be Fair, by Exchange Rate, also bred by Kosanovich. Be Fair produced Grade 1 TVG Del Mar Debutante-winner And Tell Me Nolies, by Arrogate.
“It was a heck of a family,” Kosanovich added.
