Mucho Macho Man, a contender in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, will have both sentiment and business riding on his bay back.
Kathy Ritvo, his trainer, is attempting to become the first woman to win America's most famous horse race.
Ritvo, a 41-year-old mother of two teenagers, already has beaten the odds. In November 2008, she received a heart transplant. Ritvo was suffering from cardiomyopathy, a condition that leads to heart failure; it killed her brother, jockey Louis Petro. She spent six months in critical care in a Miami hospital before a donor heart became available.
Ritvo, a trainer since age 18, views her new heart as a blessing – and a second chance. Still on anti-rejection medication (16 pills a day), she tries to stay healthy and not get too excited – even with a Derby horse.
"It's definitely kept me more grounded," Ritvo said of her illness. "I appreciate everything. I appreciate every day. And having a really nice horse like this – it's great."
Making Derby history is secondary.
"The way I grew up, I just feel like I'm a trainer, not a woman trainer," said Ritvo, who comes from a family of jockeys and trainers. "If it helps some of the girls who are looking into being a trainer and it gives them confidence, it's a great thing. They can do it."
Among Mucho Macho Man's fans are the Village People; the colt has an autographed photo tacked up outside his stall. The disco group sent Ritvo a "Macho Woman" T-shirt.
Mucho Macho Man – nicknamed "MMM" by fans – got a rare endorsement Friday when 3M announced it would sponsor the colt's Triple Crown campaign. Jockey Rajiv Maragh will wear 3M's logo in Saturday's race. It was an insider deal; co-owner Patti Reeves worked for 3M's national marketing department for 14 years.
It's not horse racing's first endorsement. UPS sponsored Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown in 2008.
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