Dancing Buck lands first graded stakes victory in Saturday’s Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes. NYRA Photo.
By Melissa Bauer-Herzog
War Dancer’s stakes-placed Dancing Buck added a stakes win to his resume against open company with a victory in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack Saturday.
Racing over 6 furlongs on the yielding turf at Belmont at the Big A, Dancing Buck went straight to the lead from the start. Making sure no one would come close to him, he kept more than a length on the field through fractions of :23.19 and :46.25. Around the turn, the Michelle Nevin trainee increased his lead to have a few lengths in hand turning into the stretch.
He took a breather at that point and let race favorite Arzak think he had a chance, before putting that idea to rest in the final furlong. Dancing Buck spurted away under hand urging to win by an easy 5 lengths in 1:09.60 with Voodoo Zip and Yes and Yes in second and third.
“I took advantage of the break because he broke so sharp,” said jockey Manny Franco. “I just went on with him and he did the rest. He was nice and comfortable on the lead and he got it done. He’s getting better with age and Michelle has been doing a great job with this horse.”
The first graded stakes winner for Irish Hill and Dutchess Views Stallions resident War Dancer, Dancing Buck is also the third stakes winner for his third crop sire.
Nevin will look to make the gelding his sire’s first Grade 1 winner with a tilt in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, a spot she’s eying for his next start at Keeneland next month.
“I’d really like that,” she said. “I thought he ran huge in Saratoga going five and a half. He was unlucky to get nipped up there [in the Lucky Coin on September 2].”
Co-owned by breeder J and N Stables with Diamond M Stable, the 4-year-old gelding is a third-generation New York-bred. He is out of the multiple stakes-placed Catienus mare Frivolous Buck, a half-sister to stakes-placed Buck Mountain. Buck Mountain also produced the stakes winning New York-bred Our Last Buck.
Frivolous Buck has produced two winners from five to race with the other winner being the three-time victor Brockmoninoff. Two of her other runners have earned placings in their run.
Frivolous Buck has a 3-year-old War Dancer gelding named Buckortwo also in training with Nevin. Her 2-year-old War Dancer filly Mz Big Bucks – the mare’s youngest foal – is working regularly at Belmont Park.
