BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Happy Tenth Stable’s Buccherino battled with longshot Twisted Ride through the first four-and-a-half furlongs before pulling away at the top of the stretch to win the $75,000 State Representative’s Sprint at Parx Racing Tuesday. Ridden by Paco Lopez, Buccherino was the best of six 4-year-olds and older going six-and-a-half-furlongs.

Twisted Ride and jockey Andy Hernandez broke on top from post three but were quickly joined by Buccherino who started from post one. Buccherino kept a head in front of Twisted Ride through quarter-mile splits of :22.46 and :45.41 as Caramel Chip tried to get even from third with a three-wide move past the quarter-mile marker.

Buccherino shook off his rivals coming out of the turn then sprinted away to win by two-and-three-quarter lengths in 1:15.43 on the fast track. Caramel Chip finished second by a nose ahead of Twisted Ride in third. Ninetypercentmaddie, Gordian Knot and Scaramouche completed the order of finish.

Buccherino was sent to the post as the 2-5 favorite and paid $2.80 to win.

It was the third win in five starts this year for Buccherino, who is trained by Alfredo Velazquez. He began his 2025 campaign on May 5, winning his first two races. He produced a neck victory against upper level allowance horses going six furlongs at Parx then traveled to Monmouth Park to win the $100,000 Mr. Prospector by a length, again at six furlongs, on May 26. He was second to Full Moon Madness in the $100,000 Alapocas Run at Delaware Park on June 14 then fourth in the $102,000 Wolf Hill Stakes going five-and-a-half furlongs on the turf on June 19 in his last race before the State Representative’s Sprint.

This is the second stakes victory at Parx for Buccherino, who won last year’s Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint there in August.

Buccherino improved his career record to seven wins in 15 races with two seconds and three thirds and increased his earnings to $386,600. Happy Tenth Stable bought him out of the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale for $75,000 where he was consigned by breeder Blue River Bloodstock. He is by Bucchero out of the winning First Dude mare Bellimbusto, who was owned by Blue River Bloodstock during her racing career.

Buccherino is the second foal out of Bellimbusto, who has one other starter, a winner, from five foals. She has an unraced 2-year-old filly by Leinster, who stands in Florida at Pleasant Acres Stallions; an unnamed yearling filly by Ocala Stud stallion Colonel Liam; and a weanling filly by Pleasant Acres Stallion’s Verifying. She was bred back to Verifying in 2025.

Return to the August 19 issue of Wire to Wire