Turf lures Brueggemann's horses to New Orleans

Roger Brueggemann’s experience at Fair Grounds doesn’t exactly qualify as extensive.

“One time, I went down there with a friend of mine to pick up a horse. We drove in and drove out, basically,” said Brueggemann.

But Brueggemann is about to get much more closely acquainted with Fair Grounds, where he will stable an entire barn full of horses this winter, nearly all of them for the Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc. of Richard and Karen Papiese.

Among the horses who will reside in that barn is The Pizza Man, who flies from Kentucky to California next week to start in the Hollywood Turf Cup and will travel from California to New Orleans with his early-season 2016 goal the $300,000 Mervin Muniz Memorial Handicap on March 26.

Brueggemann’s late-blooming career really flowered when he linked up with Midwest, but after peaking at 159 wins in 2013, Brueggemann and Midwest have slowed the pace of their operation considerably. Following a 70-win 2014, Brueggemann had only 29 winners from 187 starters in 2015 through Tuesday. His strike rate, which hit 28 percent in 2013, is down to 15 percent this year – respectable but far from gaudy.

Even with decreased volume, Brueggemann could be a boon to the Fair Grounds racing office this winter. His operation, when humming, is an aggressive and active one, but that said, last winter and spring at Oaklawn Park, Brueggemann was quiet, with just four winners from 53 starters. That was Brueggemann’s third straight Oaklawn season, and the move to Fair Grounds comes in great part because the New Orleans track has a turf course.

“It makes a little more sense than Oaklawn because we can run all our grass horses now, too,” said Brueggemann.

Among those grass horses is The Pizza Man, the Arlington Million winner who finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Richard Papiese had said following the Million that he intended to accept an invitation to the Japan Cup, but that trip was called off and the Hollywood Turf Cup travel arranged after The Pizza Man “bled just a little bit” in the BC Turf, Brueggemann said.

“I really couldn’t say that kept him from running [to peak form] in the Breeders’ Cup, but we couldn’t go on to Japan with no medication there,” said Brueggemann.

The Pizza Man will meet up with Brueggemann’s string from Kentucky, which will be shipped south after Thanksgiving, and the Illinois-bred gelding will be considered for the Fair Grounds Handicap on Feb. 20 as a prep for the Muniz.