BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Buccherino has been tabbed as the 5-2 morning line favorite and Spikezone is the third choice in the program at 7-2 as the two Florida-bred sprinters make up a daunting team in Tuesday’s $75,000 State Representative’s Sprint for 4-year-olds and older going six-and-a-half furlongs at Parx Racing.
Owned by Happy Tenth Stable, the nom de course of Tom and Kathy Lamont of Clearwater, Florida, Buccherino is the defending champion in the State Representative’s Sprint after winning last year’s edition by two-and-three-quarter lengths. A winner of six of nine races at Parx, Buccherino followed up last year’s State Representative’s Sprint with a length-and-a-half score in the $150,000 Parx Sprint on September 20.
This will be the first start in more than six months for Buccherino, who was last seen finishing second to Counterspy in an upper tier, $100,000 optional claiming at Parx on February 4. In two other races since the Parx Sprint, the Alfredo Velazquez trainee was second to fellow Florida-bred Damon’s Mound in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler during the Belmont at Big A meet at Aqueduct and fourth in the $75,000 Blitzen at Parx on December 31.
By Bucchero out of Bellimbusto, by First Dude, Buccherino has a dependable record of eight wins, four seconds and three thirds in 19 starts with earnings of $522,300. Velazquez bought Buccherino as an agent for $75,000 for Happy Tenth Stable at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale where he was consigned by Sergio Centeno’s Blue River Bloodstock located in Morriston, Florida. Blue River Bloodstock also bred Buccherino.
Eliseo Ruiz will ride Buccherino for the first time and they have drawn post one.
Spikezone enters with good recent form as he is just a neck shy of winning his last three. He produced a three-quarters of a length victory in a $55,000 allowance race going six furlongs at Delaware Park on May 20 and enters off an easy two-and-a-half-length win in a $25,000 starter allowance going six furlongs at Delaware park on July 29. Between those two races, the 7-year-old son of Speightster was second, beaten just a neck by State Representative’s-rival Fire Pit going six furlongs at Parx on July 7.
Spikezone is trained by Jamie Ness for Troy Johnson of Vacaville, California, Charles Lo and Jaggar Inc., who claimed the son of Poseidon’s Warrior for $40,000 back in December of 2022. He has since made $605,322 from 16 wins in 30 starts, bringing his career ledger to $737,262 while winning 19 of 39 races with seven seconds and eight thirds. However, his only stakes win came in the $75,000 Let’s Give Thanks Stakes at Parx in November of 2024.
He was purchased by Weston Thoroughbreds as an agent for $19,000 out of Richard Kent’s Kaizen Sales consignment at the 2020 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale. Originally, he was purchased by VC Corp., for $2,500 out of the Price Bloodstock consignment eight months earlier in the OBS Winter Mixed Sale. He is out of Blameitontheice, by Stay Thirsty and was bred in Florida by Bishop Racing.
Paco Lopez will ride Spikezone from the outside post six.
Others entered include Bump N Run with Abner Adorno in the irons, Mychel Sanchez will be aboard Maximus Meridius, Fire Pit has jockey Flavien Prat and Houghton Shuffle has Yabriel Ramos named to ride.
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