Big Bucks Runs Like a Million Bucks in Desert Mile

Original article written by Marzy Dotes posted 12 years 3 weeks ago

The crowds gathered at Desert Oasis Park for an exciting slate of championship style thoroughbred racing and received plenty of that from the dirt miler contingent.

Big Bucks proved that he deserved to be considered near the top of his class with sizzling style.

Deep in the field for most of the race, he swooped down the stretch as if blazing a trail to capture the $1 million Grade I Desert Mile by one length over Shadowless. The pricy racer zoomed the distance in a hearty 1:37.29 and impressed those who witnessed it.

On the other side of the world, his dam Big Dreams delivered her 11th foal, a bay filly named Big Wishes sired by a relatively newcomer to the stud wars, Center. The Hall of Fame mare can’t be blamed if she missed the performance of Big Bucks but the bay colt did her proud anyway.

Deep in the field for most of the race, he swooped down the stretch as if blazing a trail to capture the $1 million Grade I Desert Mile by one length over Shadowless. The pricy racer zoomed the distance in a hearty 1:37.29 and impressed those who witnessed it.

Owner Larry Burndorf had fussed a bit over his colt before the race fitting him with the blinkers that have been a staple of his racing career. This year, Lasix was added to the mix and Big Bucks hasn’t looked back.

Burndorf purchased the royally bred horse for a hefty $7 million as a yearling and the winning bid reflected the excitement generated by his pedigree. Former North American Horse of the Year Buckingham sired him and that elegant grey stallion who’s the son of two Hall of Famers has made his mark in the breeding shed. He’s been an intriguing sire due to the mixture of milers and routers among his noteworthy progeny though he’s largely remembered for winning the Louisville Derby. Buckingham’s dam, the fabulous Tiara showed a great deal of versatility on the track during her career.

Big Dreams also contributed much to Big Bucks’ ability to excel at the mile distance, given that she never lost a race either, ranging from sprints to routes. A daughter of Mighty Big and Cadeauje, she’s produced a mixture of milers and routers and several runners who did well at both like Islands Horse of the Year Derby Dreams and Big Gamble.

Big Bucks had the weight of expectation on her withers because of the attention he had generated early in his life. When he hit the racetrack, he didn’t really feel his oats as a juvenile, finishing second three straight races before finally breaking his maiden by season’s end.

At three, he captured both the Ace Ventura Stakes and the Milligram Guineas. He collided with Much in the Strike Deadly Stakes and finished second but rebounded in the Oceanside Mile where he defeated Loretta Lynn and the Mojave Stakes.

With those wins, he appeared to be ready for his biggest test, the Steward’s Cup Dirt Mile but ran into a force called Shadowless who captured that race by 5 ½ lengths over Land of the Gods. Big Bucks finished third and prepared for the new season. In his first start of the season, he dispatched Mist in the Runaway Plate by nearly three lengths and then made the trip to Desert Oasis Park.

Shadowless awaited him there and the chestnut colt bred and owned by Donnie Hidalgo had won eight out of 10 starts going into the Desert Mile. After winning the Steward’s Cup Dirt Mile last year, he returned this year to capture the Islands Stakes in very commanding fashion. He’s by Strongerable who sired 31 stakes winners during his stud career and out of Shadowsinabottle who produced a bunch of foals including the nice three year old by Voracious, Royal Rein.

He loomed large in this race but others showed up at the starting line as well. The brilliant broodmare Gift of the Moon who’s a daughter of Big Dreams had two of her sons, Gift of the Sun and Most Gifted in the field and both of them appeared formidable and ready to raise their performances a notch.

The field of nine headed to the starting gate as thousands headed to the windows to make their final wagers. When the gate opened Fire in a Bottle opened up an early lead of 1 ¼ lengths over Gift of the Sun and Foreseeable while Big Bucks remained just behind Shadowless in seventh place. Racing through the backstretch, Fire in a Bottle stretched out further over Gift of the Sun while Shadowless held the sixth spot and Big Bucks fell back into eighth.

His jockey Derek Akers wasn’t worried at all and as the horses entered the far turn he nudged his mount up into the sixth spot while the positions shifted around quickly up front. Gift of the Sun had seized the lead by a ½ length over Much with Fire in a Bottle slipping into third. Big Bucks began to accelerate as soon as the horses hit the home stretch and shot down the lane looking like a million bucks. He held off a fiercely closing Shadowless who finished second by a ¼ length over Much.

The dirt miler picture has been further illuminated by the outcome of one of its premiere events and Big Bucks put himself firmly on the map as one to watch as the season continues to play out. Burndorf celebrated with his winner after the award ceremony before shipping his runner to Wheely Nice Farm in California where he’ll likely rest up until his next start.

Shadowless didn’t embarrass himself in his defeat and was shipped back to Majestic Farm in Florida awaiting his next reentry into the dirt miler wars.

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