BY CHRISTIAN ABDO, NYRA PRESS OFFICE (Edited)
Happy Tenth Stable’s Florida-bred Buccherino will look to avenge a second in this event last year in Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Bold Ruler, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and older at Belmont Park.
Trained by Alfredo Velazquez, the 5-year-old Bucchero horse set the pace in last year’s Bold Ruler in November at Belmont at the Big A and was edged by multiple graded stakes-winner and Florida-bred colleague Damon’s Mound by a half-length. Buccherino entered that edition off wins at Parx Racing in the State Representative’s Sprint and Parx Sprint.
Buccherino has made three starts this year at Parx, beginning on February 4 with a close second to Counterspy in an upper tier, $100,000 optional claiming and returning six months later to finish fourth in the $75,000 State Representative’s Sprint in August.
Most recently, he posted a head score in the $150,000 Stable Recovery racing six-and-a-half furlongs on September 19, defeating runner-up Ignite the Light, who is entered in Sunday’s Grade 3 Forty Niner here. The performance earned a career-best matching 98 Beyer Speed Figure.
“He’s doing good,” Velazquez said. “When he’s doing good, he goes out there and runs his race. Right now, he’s doing real good and he’s at the top of his game. I can’t wait.”
Velazquez said Buccherino is in good form after being unlucky with foot problems at multiple points in his career.
“Sometimes we’ve had to give him time because he wasn’t 100 percent,” Velazquez said. “When he’s not 100 percent, I do not run him. I wait until he is good to run him. Right now, he is good.”
Buccherino shortens up a sixteenth and looks to add to his two wins, three second and three thirds in 10 starts at the six-furlong distance.
“They are going to have to run big to beat him,” Velazquez said. “I go in there with a lot of confidence.”
Buccherino was a $75,000 purchase by Vasquez as an agent for Tom and Kathy Lamont Happy Tenth Stable of Clearwater at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale where he was consigned by Centeno’s Blue River Bloodstock. He is out of the winning First Dude mare Bellimbusto and his second dam is stakes-winner Storm Flag.
His career ledger reflects earnings of $614,940 from nine wins in 21 starts with four seconds and three thirds. His three finishes out of the top three were fourth-place results, all in stakes.
Eliseo Ruiz has ridden Buccherino in his last two races and hops aboard again Sunday. They have post three and are the second choice on the morning line at 5-2.
Lucky Hat Racing and EGL-One Racing’s Contrary Thinking has made four starts for trainer Amelia Green after being purchased for $130,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale in May, most recently landing eighth in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Vosburgh on October 1 here.
The 6-year-old Into Mischief gelding previously contested three dirt sprint optional claimers this summer at Saratoga Race Course, landing second by a nose to Senior Officer in June [99 Beyer] and second to Whatchatalkinabout in July [95 BSF] ahead of a two-and-a-half-length score over returning rival Commuted in August.
Last out, Contrary Thinking, who is usually on or near the early lead, was sixth of nine through the half-mile after a slow start.
“For the Bold Ruler, he’s going to have to get out of the gate better than he did last time,” Green said. “Going seven, he missed the break. Going six, he definitely has to get out of the gate.”
Green said she is optimistic about her charge’s chances with a better start.
“There was no excuse other than it was kind of over at the break. He is a horse that since I’ve had him, he likes being on the lead. He gets brave on the lead,” Green said. “He missed the break, came out a little sideways and then got stuck on heels and never really got a chance to run.”
Contrary Thinking is the 9-5 program favorite and Manny Franco will take him from the outside post six.
Rounding out the field are Commuted, a winner of his last two, with Flavien Prat taking the assignment; stakes-placed Paradise Valley and jockey Samuel Marin, stakes-winner Subrogate teams with jockey Paco Lopez, and sophomore stakes-winner Stickupwithoutagun with Christopher Elliot in the irons.
Return to the October 31 issue of Wire to Wire
