Buccherino likely to return to Belmont for allowance

Trainer Alfredo Velazquez said he expected a little more from Buccherino in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler at Belmont last weekend, but after a game third behind Paradise Valley and Commuted, the Parx-based 5-year-old could soon return to New York for another try.

“I don’t think he went along with the track” in the Bold Ruler, Velazquez said. “There was something. We thought he would make a little push at the quarter pole, but this time, he just sat behind the pace.”

Velazquez acknowledged that he might have the favorite at Parx if he entered Buccherino in either the $75,000 Let’s Give Thanks on Nov. 25 or $75,000 Blitzen on Dec. 31. But with meager purses on the line in those races, the trainer said returning to Belmont could be an intriguing prospect.

“If the stakes are $75,000, it’s better to go for the allowances than to go in those races,” Velazquez said.

The Grade 3 Elite Power on Dec. 5 would likely be the most ambitious spot in which Buccherino could enter, though a Belmont allowance is more likely. Velazquez said he plans to enter the Florida-bred as soon as he feels he’s ready, so the timing may end up being more important than the target.