Buccherino looks to avenge narrow second in last year’s G3 Bold Ruler
Happy Tenth Stable’s 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 up, 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 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 with a close second in a February optional claimer and returning six months later to finish fourth in the State Representative’s Sprint in August. Most recently, he posted a head score in the 6 1/2-furlong Stable Recovery on September 19 over 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,” said Velazquez. “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 is 10-2-3-3 at the six-furlong distance.
“They are going to have to run big to beat him,” said Velazquez. “I go in there with a lot of confidence.”
Buccherino [post 3, Eliseo Ruiz], a $75,000 purchase at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, is out of the winning First Dude mare Bellimbusto and his second dam is stakes-winner Storm Flag.
Lucky Hat Racing and EGL-One Racing’s Contrary Thinking [post 6, Manny Franco] 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 2 1/2-length score over returning rival Commuted in August.
Last out, Contrary Thinking, who is usually on or near the early lead, was 6th-of-9 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.”
Owner/trainer Linda Rice’s Commuted [post 1, Flavien Prat] wheels back from a six-furlong starter allowance score on muddy going October 17 here. The 5-year-old Gun Runner gelding previously captured a starter optional claimer over the same distance in September at Saratoga that earned a career-best 102 Beyer.
“He’s got a shot, especially if it rains,” Rice said of the bay who is 4-for-4 over wet tracks.
Rice haltered Commuted, who is out of the Harlan’s Holiday mare Final Holiday, for $30,000 out of a win traveling one-mile in February at Aqueduct Racetrack and he won his next three races, culminating with a six-furlong optional claiming score in May there.
“I liked his pedigree,” Rice said. “I felt like physically, he looked more like a sprinter than a router, so that’s why I shortened him up. He’s improved as a closing sprinter.”
Rounding out the field are stakes-winning sophomore Stickupwithoutagun [post 5, Chris Elliott] and dual stakes-placed Paradise Valley [post 2, Samuel Marin] for conditioner Ilkay Kantarmaci; and stakes-placed Subrogate [post 4, Paco Lopez] for trainer Jorge Duarte, Jr.
The Bold Ruler is slated as Race 2 on Sunday’s 11-race card, which features the Grade 3, $200,000 Forty Niner [Race 9], Listed $175,000 Turnback the Alarm [Race 8], $175,000 Casa Creed [Race 10] and state-bred $175,000 Notebook [Race 4]. First post is 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
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