Thunder Road H. (gr. III)
(gr. III , 8f ,)
MATTO MONDO (CHI)
(DK B/ g,
116
lb) $60,000
Sir Cat —Muy Euforica (CHI) , by
Sadlers Congress (IRE)
B—Haras El Sheik,
CHI.;
O—Yatse Stables I;
T—Richard E. Mandella
Global Hunter (ARG)
(B h,
117
lb) $20,000
Jade Hunter —Griffe de Paris (BRZ) , by
Telescopico (ARG)
B—La Providencia,
ARG.;
O—L-Bo Racing and Pyle, Monte;
T—A. C. Avila
Monba
(GR/RO h,
116
lb) $12,000
Maria's Mon —Hamba , by
Easy Goer
B—Jamm Ltd.,
KY.;
O—Starlight Racing;
T—Todd A. Pletcher
Margins: 3¼, 1, 1¼. Others: Dilemma 116($6,000) , Ferneley (IRE) 116($2,000) , Monterey Jazz 118 , Shore Do 112 , Becrux (ITY) 117 . Winning Jockey, Mike E. Smith.
Chilean-bred Matto Mondo appears to be putting it all together. He won his second race in a row at Santa Anita when he defeated Global Hunter by 31Ú4 lengths in the Feb. 7 Thunder Road Handicap.
Originally a grade III race on the turf, the one-mile contest was taken off the grass and is currently considered a non-graded event pending a final decision by the American Graded Stakes Committee.
Matto Mondo came into the Thunder Road off a victory in an allowance/optional claiming race Dec. 27, his first win since coming to the United States.
While racing in Chile, Matto Mondo was a multiple group I winner and was named 2007 champion 2-year-old male. The son of Sir Cat left Chile at the end of his championship season, and did not make his debut in the U.S. until September of last year.
ÒHe just didnÕt speak English when he got here,Ó joked trainer Richard Mandella about Matto MondoÕs long acclimation period. ÒIt took him a while to get the language down.Ó
Mandella trains Matto Mondo for Alex Estay of Las Vegas, who races in the name of Yatse Stables I.
Haras El Sheik bred Matto Mondo out of the winning Sadlers Congress mare Muy Euforica. He was not the only champion to represent the farm in 2007. Haras El Sheik also bred Paloma Infiel, who was named Horse of the Year in Chile that year. A winner of three group I races, Paloma Infiel has since been sent to France.
Matto Mondo is the second foal out of Muy Euforica, who was also bred by Haras El Sheik. The 12-year-old mare has a winning full brother to Matto Mondo named Matto dÕAmore. Muy Euforica was barren to Ocean Terrace for 2006 and has a 2-year-old filly by that stallion named Mattissima. She delivered a Storm Warning filly last September.
Sir Cat is the sire of 31 stakes winners. The 16-year-old son of Storm Cat began his stud career at Gainesway Farm near Lexington before being sent to Chile, where he stands at Haras Jockey.ÑA.H.D
