Today, Turco Bravo, trained by Gary Contessa, won the 1 1/8 mile, $125,000 Stymie Stakes at Aqueduct for the second year in a row. The handsome red-headed gelding son of Caesarion (IRE) and Turkish Queen (CHI) was bred in Chile by Haras Carioca, and is owned by Winning Move Stable. The fleet-footed seven-year-old was piloted expertly to victory by Manny Franco.
Turco Bravo is both a gelding and an “older” horse. In American racing, this “older” designation often misleads new fans and inexperienced bettors into thinking that there’s no excitement to be found in a race populated by elder statesmen. Nothing could be farther from the truth:
The reality is that, with a gelding–and ergo, no stud career in the offing–a horse who is sound can run as long as his owner and trainer see it as a viable career move. Some of the greatest horses, with the most thrilling careers, have been geldings: Evening Attire, Lava Man, Better Talk Now, Wise Dan, John Henry, Kelso, Forego and Best Pal are just a few of the names of gelded horses whose talent and drive on the track took them far beyond age three, and into history books.
An observation is that Turco Bravo (“Brave Turk” in Spanish) is on his way to earning that distinction, of horses who–like an exquisite cheese–become even better with age. Interesting, that “to stymie” means,
“…to stop (someone) from doing something or to stop (something) from happening” —
for, indeed, Turco Bravo stopped both his opponents and naysayers who bet against him. Believers were rewarded with $42.40 for a simple, two-dollar win bet.
Asked to discuss the charming Chilean chestnut, Gary observed,
“What can I say, like good wine he is getting better with age. With Turco Bravo, it is all about distance: the further the better. NYRA has planned marathons this year, and that will be right up Turco’s alley. “
We look forward to NYRA’s planned marathons, and to seeing Turco Bravo continue to prove that he’s just-now reaching his stride. Synchronistically, the Byerley Turk-descended Turco Bravo shares more than a name with his famous great-great grandsire: apparently, he also has the foundation sire’s endurance and thirst for distance.
And Gary? It’s a good night in Florida, where he’s toasting Turco Bravo:
“…And to celebrate, a glass of wine at my favorite South. Florida Italian restaurant, Massimo’s in Boynton Beach.”
Get a good night’s rest, Turco Bravo, and pleasant dreams of future victories and more winner’s circle pictures. Congratulations to all your connections, big boy.
Photo courtesy of Chelsea Durand/NYRA, and
Video courtesy of NYRA:
https://www.facebook.com/thenyra/videos/10154186804451091/