Manchego to retire following TVG Series championship

November 12, 2020, by Ken Weingartner, USTA Media Relations Manager

Hightstown, NJ — The record-setting career of Manchego will come to an end Nov. 21 at The Meadowlands. Barry Guariglia, who owns the 5-year-old trotting mare, said her final start will be in the TVG Series championship, either in the Mare Trot or Open Trot.

Manchego has won 32 of 55 lifetime races and earned $2.56 million. Her victories include the 2018 Hambletonian Oaks and Breeders Crown titles at ages 2, 4, and 5. She is the fastest female trotter ever thanks to her 1:49 victory in the 2019 Allerage Farms Mare Trot at Red Mile and also the fastest female trotter in history on a five-eighths-mile track, with a mark of 1:49.3 in this year’s Spirit of Massachusetts at Plainridge Park.

She is the only female trotter to win with a sub-1:50 mile in multiple years. She has been the sport’s fastest trotter in 2019 and 2020.

In 2017, Manchego won all 12 of her starts and became the first undefeated 2-year-old filly trotter in Breeders Crown history as well as the first unbeaten 2-year-old filly trotter to win a Dan Patch Award. With her Breeders Crown triumph two weeks ago, she joined Peace Corps and Grades Singing as the only female trotters with at least three trophies.

Manchego was trained by Jimmy Takter at ages 2 and 3, and Nancy Takter at 4 and 5.

Guariglia will keep Manchego, who is by Muscle Hill out of Secret Magic, as a broodmare.

“For me, that (TVG) will be a rough one because it’s been so wonderful, and I do like to race,” Guariglia said. “It’ll be a rough one, but the start of a new chapter for her.

“She seems to be in good form, so hopefully we’ve got one more (win) in us.”