Strong Tide outkicks rivals to take Bucchero Handicap

Strong Tide took advantage of a confusingly light weight assignment to beat Jeopardy Theory by a half-length in the $100,000 Bucchero Handicap on Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

A race earlier, Louder than Words was much the best in the Bucchero’s sister stakes, the $100,000 Peony Handicap. Both races were for older Indiana-breds at 1 1/16 miles on turf, the Peony restricted to fillies and mares. The races were run early on a card that began at 10:30 a.m. Eastern to avoid extremely high afternoon temperatures. The races were run as handicaps so that a no-Lasix rule governing Indiana stakes wouldn’t apply.

Jeopardy Theory is a stakes horse only in Indiana turf-route competition and was cleverly trained by Tim Glyshaw to peak Wednesday in his fifth start this season. After stalking the pace from the inside, Jeopardy Theory was steered wide past the three-furlong marker by Fernando de la Cruz, reaching the leaders at the eighth pole and putting his head in front of Cash Logistics. But Strong Tide, who raced mid-pack much of the trip, found a seam between horses in upper stretch and rallied determinedly inside Jeopardy Theory for the win. Cash Logistics held well for third, a neck behind Jeopardy Theory.

Strong Tide was timed in 1:43.06 over firm going and paid $3.60 as the odds-on favorite he deserved to be. Trained by Mike Lauer, who bred the 6-year-old with the horse’s owner, Penny Lauer, Strong Tide is by English Channel out of Dreamin Big, by Pure Prize.

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Strong Tide was coming out of the Grade 1 Arlington Million. His most recent Indiana turf start had been a close fourth while facing open company in the Jonathan Schuster Memorial. In May the horse finished third in the Grade 1 Man O’ War Stakes. Strong Tide had multiple graded-stakes placings on turf and more than $700,000 in earnings coming into Wednesday’s race, yet he carried only 121 pounds, six fewer than Jeopardy Theory.

Jeopardy Theory was on an eight-race losing streak, including four starts in Indiana-bred company, never has raced in an open stakes race of any sort, and had $137,000 in earnings before Wednesday’s race. Nonetheless he was the starting highweight at 127 pounds along with Mansfield Tiger, who finished ninth at 7-1, and Mowins, eighth at 47-1.

Louder Than Words ($16) was more reasonable weighted in the Peony, where she carried 125 pounds, five more than pacesetting 16-1 shot Sassy Katie, whom Louder Than Words easily passed on the way to a 2 1/2-length score. Sassy Katie held \second by three quarter of a length over 7-5 favorite Timeless Rose, who is trained, like Louder Than Words, by Tony Granitz.

Second in the 2022 Peony as a 3-year-old, Louder Than Words won her fourth race in a row while racing on turf for the first time during 2023. Ridden by Samuel Bermudez, Louder Than Words was eighth at the halfway point before launching a sustained run that carried her to victory. There are no official splits for the race because of a timer malfunction, but Louder Than Words clocked 1:45.22 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Granitz also is a part owner of Louder Than Words with Michael Wern and Bob Dhondt. The filly is by Mr Speaker out of Lionontheedge, by American Lion.

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