Buck’s Boy, trainer-breeder Noel Hickey and owner George Bunn ran into racing history Saturday.
Buck’s Boy became the first Illinois-bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race with a front-stepping victory in the $2 million Turf.
The landmark win came in trademark style. When no other horse put pressure on the pace-setter, the race was for place.
“We were rather fortunate, we drew a wonderful post position (No. 2),” Hickey said. “One of the advantages we had over the Europeans was the tight turns. We knew we could get the lead.
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“He’s a free-running horse. We just didn’t want to go too fast in the beginning. (Jockey) Shane Sellers did a wonderful job rating him. When I saw the quarter-mile time (24 2/5 seconds) and the half-mile time (49 1/5) I knew we had a big, big shot.
“He got a perfect trip. I don’t know what happened to the horses behind. I admit I had tunnel vision just watching him and the others getting close to him.”
The race chart almost makes it look as if Buck’s Boy toyed with the field. He led by 1 1/2 lengths after a quarter-mile, then opened up a 2 1/2-length lead at the half. After a mile he let the field get within a length of him before bounding off to another 2 1/2-length lead, this time with a quarter-mile to go. He finished in a drive to win by 1 1/4 lengths.
The 5-year-old gelding ran every quarter-mile in the race between 24 2/5 and 24 4/5.
“I had a great trip,” Sellers said. “He broke great, as he always does, and went right to the front, as he always does. I was able to coast along with him for the next three quarters of a mile. Then I put him in a drive in the middle of the turn and he finished up like a good horse, as he always does. He’s not a big horse, but man, can he do it.”
Among his many new accomplishments, Buck’s Boy became the first Illinois-bred to top $2 million in career earnings, and the first to win a race with a purse of $1 million or more. The $1,040,000 payday raised his career earnings to more than $2.3 million.
And the greatest honor may be yet to come. Buck’s Boy becomes a leading contender for the Eclipse Award as North America’s male turf champion.
Buck’s Boy will run next in the Japan Cup on Nov. 29 in Tokyo.