Overseas ambitions ignited for Bucchero after maiden stallion success

Bloodstock figures from around the world have found their way back to Royal Ascot this week. It is not only a time for pleasure but a major networking opportunity, where exciting plans can be hatched.

In Harlan Malter’s case, the days were a bit of both. Malter manages not only the career of Florida-based stallion Bucchero but the Ironhorse Racing Stable which raced him and took him to the King's Stand Stakes of four years ago, when he was a fine fifth to Blue Point.

Bucchero, a son of Kantharos, had an unusual backstory as his dam, Meetmeontime, had been rescued from neglect by his breeders, Greg and Karen Dodd of Southern Chase Farm.

Indiana-bred, he was bought by Malter for $43,000 from OBS and very much did it the hard way from smaller American tracks before graduating to black-type class and claiming consecutive wins in the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes at Keeneland.

Malter explains that the five partners that owned Bucchero remained in him as a stallion prospect at Pleasant Acres, near Ocala. Serendipitously, the big chestnut has just notched his first winner with the Norman Stables-owned Toddchero absolutely pulverising his opposition in a maiden special weight at Lone Star Park last Friday.

"It’s bringing the whole Ascot experience back," said Malter. "It’s very hard to stand a horse that is perceived as a turf sprint stallion in America, certainly in Kentucky they look to breed for two-turn mile and a quarter. We felt we wanted to give him a chance at Royal Ascot to show what he could do on the international stage."

Bucchero is not the flashiest name in the brochures but Malter says he has been delighted with the take-up from breeders.

"He’s bred to more than 400 mares in his first four years," he said. "He has a first crop of around 67, then there should be 89 yearlings.

"He’s covered some really fast, hard-knocking Florida mares, they should work well with him, and there have been tonnes of positive things said by the trainers as well."

Ironhorse has more than 20 horses spread across a few trainers including the legendary Bill Mott and Bucchero’s handler Tim Glyshaw. It is also supporting its old star with runners and has part of four, including one with Mark Casse and several more with Joe Orseno, who brought Imprimis over for the 2019 King's Stand.

They like a cultural reference; Bucchero is named after a style of Etruscan pottery and one that seems to be highly regarded is Epeius, the soldier who built the Trojan Horse. He is out of Deceptive Glory, a half-sister to the dual Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint scorer Mizdirection.

Malter is also planning to finalise an idea that hit the buffers with Covid, which is to run one of Bucchero’s offspring on these shores.

"We were in Dubai earlier this year with Get Smokin, who ran in the Al Quoz Sprint," he explained. "We got quite friendly with Ado McGuinness, who trained the winner A Case Of You.

"I think we’ll try to get Ado to the sales in America, maybe something like OBS, and try to buy a Bucchero that he can train for us.

"I think having the horse trained in Ireland would give us a better chance of getting back here [Royal Ascot] than trying to do it from America again. I realise more and more how difficult it was to do that, and what a special horse Bucchero was, and is."

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