Toscano barn goes from ecstasy to agony in a day

On Oct. 29, the John Toscano barn celebrated a victory by Runninsonofagun in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler at Aqueduct. The next morning, the barn mourned the loss of Blewitt, an 8-year-old gelding who had gotten loose while on the Belmont training track and wound up getting injured in the barn area and had to be euthanized.

“We went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows,” said John Toscano III, son of and assistant to his father. “That was absolutely sick. He was one of my favorites. What a shame.”

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Blewitt was originally owned by Mike Repole and trained by Todd Pletcher. He was named in honor of Jason Blewitt, a former television analyst at the New York Racing Association and then Gulfstream Park before taking a job with West Point Thoroughbreds.

Blewitt, a son of Uncle Mo, won 9 races from 27 starts and earned $360,765. The Toscanos claimed him for $25,000 on Dec. 31, and in March Blewitt won the Stud Muffin, one of 10 starter stakes run on New York Claiming Championships Day.

Meanwhile, Runninsonofagun, another former claimer whom the Toscanos have done quite well with, is scheduled to breeze over the weekend with an eye toward the Grade 3, $175,000 Fall Highweight Handicap on Nov. 26.

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