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GRAND OPPORTUNITY AWAITS MUCHO GUSTO GUSTOHas Has Chance of Winning Peabody Memorial Third Time and Boost Earnings Over 100000 Mark MarkCRETE CRETE 111 May 27 Mucho Gusto is a veteran handicap horse who is known to sports fans the length and breadth of the land because of the fact that he has stumped at almost every race track from coast to coast but on Saturday he has a chance to rack up a couple of worthwhile records when and if he goes to the post in the thir ¬ teenth running of the 5000 added Francis S Peabody Memorial Handicap Not only will the son of Marvin May Sweetheart Time be establishing a record if he wins the mile and a sixteenth test for older horses for the third time having won the 1936 and 1940 renewals but by taking down the top purse he will be parleying his lifetime purse earnings to over 100000 Thats a credit ¬ able showing for a horse who has never really won any of the big money events eventsNine Nine years old at the present time Mucho Gusto is a candidate for Fridays feature with a iccord of having already earned five straight victories in this racing year The Marvin May offspring has been saddled for the races 186 times during his eight years of campaigning and has made his bow to the judges on fiftysix different occasions Consider also the fact that on twentynine other occasions he was close enough to be second and in thirtytwo races he picked up third money In all these endeavors he has pyramided his earnings to 96035 Thats a pretty respectable sum when it is consid ¬ ered that such good horses of recent mem ¬ ory as Roman Soldier Bubbling Over Bold Venture and a lot of others retired with less to their credit This is not be construed as to imply that Much Gusto is a better horse than the aforementioned but rather just to make his own achievements more significant by comparison with the achievements of famous horses horsesGALLANT GALLANT KNIGHT DOUBLE WINNER = Only one horse has accounted for as many renewals of the Francis S Peabody Memo ¬ rial Handicap as Mucho Gusto Gallant Knight who won in successive years back in 1931 and 1932 As pointed out In the above paragraphs Mucho Gusto doesnt win the big name races but races like the Rowe Memorial Handicap at Bowie the Governors Handicap at Narragansett Park the Pil ¬ grim Handicap at Suffolk Downs and the Christmas Handicap at Tropical Park That was his record in 1937 when he won 21955 Another big year was 1938 when he won eight races finished second in six third in three others and earned 25160 in purse money Last year he won 15365 while win ¬ ning seven races finishing second three times and third on six occasions occasionsAlmost Almost all of his racing has been done in the silks of Kirby Ramsey and whoever has happened to be his partner although the Marvin May horse did run in the silks of the Araho Stable of the late Walter E OHara Mucho Gusto was the best horse the latter ever owned and it was in his black and polka dot silks he ran during 1937 OHara purchased Big Gus as he liked to call him fr Jm Ramsey for a reported price of 7500 When his racing empire toppled after the famous battle with the then Governor Robert E Quinn of Rhode Island Mucho Gusto re ¬ verted to Ramsey again Reviewing againReviewing Mucho Gustos record we find that his poorest year on the track was his twoyearold campaign back in 1934 when he went to the post fourteen times won four races but only earned 1975 in purse money while finishing second twice and third once The following year 1935 his earnings jumped to 6675 while he was winning eleven of thirtyseven starts finishing second seven times and third on eight occasions His rec ¬ ord for 1936 was an improvement and he won nine races in twentyfour starts and earned odd money by finishing second twice and third four times while pyramiding his purse record for the year to 11335 His banner years of 1937 and 1938 as recorded above follow along but in 1939 he went into a slump slumpBECORD BECORD FOB 1940 1940As As he was a sevenyearold at the time his owner might have been excused had he thought that the Marvin May horse was ready for the equine equivalent of the rock ¬ ing chair It was fortunate that he didnt however because Mucho Gusto returned to his winning ways in 1940 when he won seven races in twentysix starts finished second in three events and picked up third money on six occasions to run his bankroll for the year up to 15365 Just as his 1939 record of four wins one second and two thirds for purses totaling 6515 made it appear that he was ready to retire his 1940 showing was an indication that he was still able to hold his own in good company Thus companyThus far this year Mucho Gusto has been to the post eleven times The Marvin May offspring has made his bow to the judges six times and finished second once while earn ¬ ing 7055 Included in his record for this year are victories in the Kentucky Handicap at Churchill Downs and the Governors Handicap at Beulah Park The last five vic ¬ tories have been in succession successionThere There is another story behind Mucho Gusto which has been told and retold but which is always good for the retelling According to that yarn Mucho Gusto is the last recorded son of Marvin May because that unhonored thoroughbred is the equine equivalent of the Wanderer of Wasteland As the daddy of a horse with the record which Mucho Gusto boasts Marvin May would be entitled to hold his head aloft even if he is in the race horse Valhalla but he never had a chance to take a bow for his sons accomplishments because he was fired as a sire long before that one began his iron horse campaigning up and down the land landSeveral Several efforts have been made to find Marvin May but for all we know theso searches have been fruitless Once so the yarn goes Kirby Ramsey found a horse who matched Marvin Mays identification but on later inspection he was found not to be the desired one
