Glyshaw gladdened by latest effort from Bucchero
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Although Bucchero may not have needed a confidence boost earlier this fall to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint Saturday at Churchill Downs, trainer Tim Glyshaw did. Frustrated by what he considered several unlucky trips with Bucchero, he was feeling snakebit.
Then Bucchero put those worries to rest, repeating in the Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland on Oct. 6 – a race he upset at 26-1 in 2017. Unlike in some of his earlier starts this year when he was jostled in traffic, he had a smooth run in the Woodford. He took command after stalking the pace, and lasted by a half-length over a closing Will Call.
“When things start going wrong every time you run, or seemingly, this happens or that happens, you start to get a little bit discouraged,” Glyshaw said. “But he showed that when he gets a clean trip he can still definitely be in the upper echelon of turf sprinters.”
The Woodford ended a seven-race losing streak for Bucchero. The losses were not solely related to misfortune. Sometimes was simply outrun, including when fourth in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar. That day he gave his usual hard effort only to fall a length short of victorious Stormy Liberal.
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Another race took him to Britain, where he ran fifth against Europe’s best sprinters in the Group 1 King’s Stand at Ascot on June 19.
“Obviously Royal Ascot was wonderful,” Glyshaw said. “I had never been to England. We were stabled at Newmarket, which was a really, really neat thing to see, and to train over there. And raceday, he went out and ran really, really well. “
It was other races that left Glyshaw wondering what could have been. One was a third-place finish in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint at Churchill on May 4, in which Bucchero was beaten 1 1/2 lengths after being bumped in early stretch, and another was when he was fifth in the Sept. 3 Turf Monster at Parx following traffic issues down the backside.
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Despite the setbacks, Bucchero is ready for another crack in the Breeders’ Cup. A third-place finish or better in the Turf Sprint would vault Bucchero past $1 million in earnings before he goes to stud next year in Florida at Pleasant Acres Stallions.
“The whole goal was to get back to this race,” Glyshaw said. “So at least that part of the plan has worked the way we planned for it.”
Indiana Grand jockey Fernando De La Cruz returns in the irons aboard Bucchero, an Indiana-bred 6-year-old son of Kantharos owned by Ironhorse Racing Stable.
