Bucchero, Peony stakes produce repeat winners

Bumble of Love won the Peony Stakes and Leading the Charge the Bucchero Stakes on Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis – just like last year.

Leading the Charge repeated in the $103,200 Bucchero, for older Indiana-breds at 1 1/16 miles on turf, a race that the betting public properly concluded he basically couldn’t lose. Leading the Charge, finishing strongly from just behind the speed, paid a pittance, $3 to win.

A race earlier, Bumble of Love won the $103,300 Peony for the second year in a row despite running closer to 1 1/8 miles in this 1 1/16-mile contest for older Indiana-bred fillies and mares. Four paths wide on the first turn after breaking from post 12, four paths wide again around the second turn, and six to seven wide coming into the homestretch, Bumble of Love still won the Peony by three-quarters of a length over onrushing Louder Than Words.

Ridden by Rodney Prescott for trainer Brian Michael and owner Andrew Ritter, 5-year-old Bumble of Love has done great things over the Horseshoe Indianapolis turf course, running her record there to 7-5-1-0. In a statebred-restricted allowance prep for the Peony, Bumble of Love had dead-heated with Peony favorite Timeless Rose, but Bumble of Love ran far better than Timeless Rose on Wednesday. Despite losing so much ground, in midstretch she clipped past Timeless Rose, who would hold on for third, and finished just well enough to hold clear 3-year-old Louder Than Words, who had come from last of 12 while getting five pounds from Bumble of Love.

Bumble of Love ($9.60), by Hampton Court out of Brief Contact, by Bertrando, was bred by Ritter, Ledgelands, and Beatrice Ingham.

Leading the Charge also has made a fine career racing over the local grass course, his record there now a gaudy 13-8-1-1 after Marcelino Pedroza guided him to a second win in the Bucchero. Bred and owned by Team Block, and trainer by Rob Dobbs, 5-year-old Leading the Charge has raced sparingly but effectively. He won last year’s Bucchero in just his second turf stakes, and Wednesday’s start marked his first such race since. Rockin Justice, an 18-1 shot, came from mid-pack to get second, while 47-1 pace factor Akamai finished third. Leading the Charge is by Suntracer out of Dashel, by Cashel Castle.