Bucchero a Clear Winner in the Brickyard
Bucchero and Marcelino Pedroza Jr. turned in a commanding performance against a stellar field to win the $100,000-added Brickyard Stakes at Indiana Grand Racing & Casino Wednesday, Sept. 14. The win marked the second career stakes victory for the four-year-old Indiana bred colt, increasing his career bankroll to more than $300,000.
Starting from post seven, Pedroza Jr. had a few options at the start, but his main objective was to get on or near the lead as quickly as he could. Bucchero joined Grandpa Grumpy in pursuit of early positioning and was content to follow along behind Grandpa Grumpy and Rodney Prescott, who flashed by the first quarter in :21.93 seconds. Bucchero sat to the outside and bided his time, saving up his best move for the final half of the six-furlong race.
Bucchero reached Grandpa Grumpy heading into the stretch and responded to Pedroza Jr., speeding off open lengths in front of the field. Pedroza Jr. kept the son of Kantharos focused on his job and was along for the ride late in the race as they crossed under the wire seven and one-half lengths ahead of Sucess is Racing and Eddie Perez, who had too much ground to make up to become a threat in the end. A nose separated Sucess is Racing ahead of Avery Glenn and Malcolm Franklin for third.
“I wasn’t worried at all about the fast fractions,” said Pedroza Jr. “I wanted to sit outside of the speed and wait for the others. He took the lead at the top of the stretch and I asked him and he responded. I think in his last start, he just needed a race.”
The final time of the Brickyard was 1:08.77. Bucchero paid $8.20, $4.60 and $3.60 across the board for his win. Tim Glyshaw trains the flashy colt that sports white socks and a blaze. Glyshaw recognizes the talent of the colt, but jokes as he still works to tweak him.
“The plan was to sit right off Grandpa Grumpy and it worked out perfectly today,” said Glyshaw. “Now, if we could just get him (Bucchero) to switch leads, we might be talking about going to the Breeders’ Cup. He never did switch leads in the stretch. I asked Marcelino if he ever switched and he said, ‘yes, in the turn pulling up’ so for him to go in 1:08 and change today and not switch leads, that is impressive.”
Bucchero is owned by Ironhorse Racing, LLC. He is now five for 13 in his career for Ironhorse, who purchased him for $43,000 from the Ocala sales as a two-year-old. Members of the stable were on hand for the race. The stable consists of owners from both coasts as well as Indiana.
“We have an Indiana mare and foal, so we are committing to the program,” said Harlan Malter, managing owner of the stable. “When you have a horse like this, it makes you want to invest more. And, this horse’s mother (Meetmeontime) has an interesting story. She was rescued by the ASPCA in Florida and sold at auction. Bucchero isn’t her first baby, but she’s had a lot of success since being rescued.”
Bucchero has proven himself to be competitive outside the state of Indiana, finishing third last fall in the $67,000 Mighty Beau Stakes at Churchill Downs. Although his connections plan to come back and race him at Indiana one more time closing weekend in late October, they hope to get another start prior to that race.
“Tentatively, we are hoping to head to the Woodford on the turf at Keeneland for his next start,” said Glyshaw. “But it is up to these guys (the owners). It’s nice to see an Indiana bred that is competitive at Churchill and Keeneland. Personally, I believe he’s better on the turf and better sprinting, but we will come back and try to defend his title in the To Much Coffee going long.”
Source: Indiana Grand Racing & Casino