Sweet moment for Falcones quickly turns bitter

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – What should have been a triumphant moment for Robert Falcone Jr. and his father turned tragic in a matter of seconds Thursday at Saratoga.

Butter Lou, a 2-year-old New York-bred colt trained by Falcone Jr. for his father, Robert, won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race by three-quarters of a length Thursday. But just nearing the wire, Butter Lou stepped in a hole, according to his rider Luis Saez. Saez pulled the horse up shortly past the wire and jumped off.

Though a boot was placed on the colt’s right foreleg and he was vanned off the course, Butter Lou was later euthanized.

“They couldn’t save him,” said Falcone Jr., who said the pastern was in disrepair.

Butter Lou was a product of two horses Robert Falcone Jr. had advised his father to buy several years ago. Butter Lou was by Superestrella, a horse Falcone advised his father to claim for $20,000 off David Jacobson, and out of the mare Vallee des Reves. Superestrella was by Storm Cat and the dam was by Kingmambo and had thrown some successful foals in Europe, including the Group 1 winner Maids Causeway. Falcone purchased Vallee des Reves privately off a farm.

The elder Falcone named the horse for a family friend who died from COVID-19 earlier this year.

“When he was younger he played basketball, and he was smooth dribbling so they called him Butter Lou,” Robert Falcone Jr. said. “That was his nickname.”

Falcone thought Butter Lou might need a race because he acted a little goofy in the morning. But coming down the stretch, he could see the horse was making a determined run. Falcone watched the race next to his father.

“My dad never gets too excited,” Falcone said. “Yesterday, he was screaming when he won. He threw his hands up and was like, “I can’t believe it.’ He couldn’t believe he bred a horse that won at Saratoga first time out. I couldn’t believe it.”

But that excitement soon turned to concern for the horse.

“So unlucky,” Robert Falcone Jr. said.