The Pizza Man headed to Stars and Stripes for a fifth time

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – One day there will be a Stars and Stripes Handicap lacking The Pizza Man, but that day will not be July 8.

The popular Illinois-bred gelding is set to start in the Stars and Stripes for the fifth year in a row, owner Rich Papiese said Friday. Papiese bred and owns The Pizza Man with his wife, Karen, as Midwest Thoroughbreds.

The Pizza Man finished third in the 2013 Stars and Stripes, won it in 2014 and 2015, and was fourth, beaten one length, last summer. He went on to win the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf at Woodbine last fall. The Pizza Man made his 8-year-old debut June 17 at Arlington, finishing fourth in the Black Tie Affair Handicap for Illinois-breds while carrying 128 pounds and racing over a very soft turf course at a distance short of his best. The Pizza Man raced last of five early behind a slow pace and came with an encouraging finish in the final 1 1/2 furlongs.

“He came out of the race fine,” Rich Papiese said. “He didn’t really quite understand what was going on, being so far behind. He had too much work to do at the end. I definitely think he should move forward.”

The Pizza Man will ship from trainer Roger Brueggemann’s base at the Trackside Training Center in Louisville, Ky., late next week.