Bravazo: A True Throwback

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL.–For the most part, the days where a horse showed up to every marquee racing event are gone and it is even rarer to see one who not only runs in each of those major events, but also performs consistently well. D. Wayne Lukas was known for turning out many of those types of horses in his heyday in the 90s, such as Thunder Gulch, Serena's Song and Tabasco Cat. The Hall of Famer has a modern-day version of those hearty racehorses in MGISP Bravazo (Awesome Again), who will, of course, be in the gate for Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup.

“He is a little bit like Thunder Gulch,” Lukas said as he stood against a fence supervising Bravazo as he grazed outside of Barn 5 at Gulfstream. “Thunder Gulch made all of the dances. Even after the Belmont, when most people would put them away, he went out to Hollywood Park and won the Swaps S. out there and came back to run in the [GI] Travers [S.]. You don't see many of them like that, but we had two of them for sure. This one and Thunder Gulch are very similar.”

Victor of the GII Risen Star S. 11 months ago, Bravazo has been winless in nine starts since, but has hit the board five times. The dark bay was the only horse besides Justify (Scat Daddy) to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown and ran in the Haskell, Travers, GI Pennsylvania Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, where he finished a respectable third behind a powerhouse performance from the re-opposing City of Light (Quality Road). He concluded his sophomore campaign last term with a runner-up effort against his elders in the GI Clark H. Nov. 23.

“He always makes sure we have enough money to get home even if we don't win,” Lukas said, looking towards his charge with a fond smile. “He shows up every time and you always wonder if there is going to be a crack in the armor a little bit, but I think he has a toughness about him that you don't see in many horses. There is one out there with his name on it.”

The Hall of Famer added, “He has had a little break from the Clark, but he has had more recency than most of the field. We are looking for a good effort. He seems to have adapted well here.”

Bravazo has drawn the rail for Saturday's $9-million event in which he will face 11 opponents, including new champion Accelerate (Lookin at Lucky), the aforementioned City of Light and GI Florida Derby hero Audible (Into Mischief).

“At first blush, I thought the post was not a good deal,” Lukas said. “But, the more I looked at it with the big sweeping turns and the configuration of the racetrack, I'm not too sure that it isn't okay. You could win from this one. If you were in the Preakness or the Derby or something, I would say, 'Well, I don't want the one hole.' But here, when it first came out, I thought, 'oh boy,' but now that I looked at it and analyzed it a little bit, I think it might be alright. We were going to let him run early anyhow.”

Gulfstream's leading rider Luis Saez climbs back aboard Bravazo Saturday. The red hot jockey piloted the colt to runner-up efforts in both the GI Preakness S. and GI Haskell Invitational S.

“The thing about it is we have got the rider that is just unbelievably hot here,” Lukas said. “Luis Saez just owns the place. Everyday he keeps coming with one win right after another. He has a good feel for it and the horse has good speed, so I think we will just turn the two of them loose.”

When asked what might be next on the well-traveled Bravazo's schedule, the Coach said, “I know Mr. [Brad] Kelley would like to go to Dubai, but I think we need to make a good showing here.”