by Ben Massam
Whether by choice or by circumstance, trainer William 'Buff' Bradley is taking the patient approach with his talented sophomore turfer Divisidero (Kitten's Joy). The colt displayed a scorching turn of foot to earn his first graded stakes victory in Saturday's GII American Turf S. at Churchill Downs–his third career start–covering the final 5/16th of a mile in an exceptional :27.89 .
Owned by Tom Kiethley's Gunpowder Farms LLC, Divisidero began to train under Bradley's care last summer, but the dual-Breeders' Cup winning conditioner noted that it quickly became apparent that the colt would benefit from more time to grow and mature. Bradley said a decision was made to send Divisidero back to the farm with an eye to the future.
“I got the horse last summer, and he got a little shin sore–nothing major,” Bradley explained. “But I talked it over with the racing manager of Gunpowder Stables, Josh Stevens, and we thought it was best to give him a couple months off and let him mature anyhow. We got him back this winter and we trained him at Tampa for a month or so. We then sent him down to Gulfstream, and he really came into his own right before his first race. I worked him a nice easy mile, and the way he did it was very impressive. We thought a lot of him early on, but the connections told me that I could take my time with him and be very patient.”
The patience paid dividends, as Divisidero circled the field six wide and powered clear to an eye-catching debut victory on the GI Donn H. undercard at Gulfstream Park, Feb. 7 . His trainee was doing so well following that effort that Bradley entered him in the GIII Palm Beach S., which was originally scheduled for Feb. 28 in Hallandale Beach, but was postponed due to torrential rains.
Divisidero competed in the re-drawn version of the race Mar. 7, but lacked running room late and checked in third, beaten just 3/4 of a length by Eh Cumpari (Elusive Quality). Bradley said the colt bounced out of the race in excellent shape, which had him excited about the prospect of running in the GIII Transylvania S. on Keeneland's opening day, Apr. 3.
But once again, Mother Nature had different ideas, as Lexington was battered by rain and hail, forcing yet another unprecedented cancellation–and yet another exercise in patience for Bradley.
“We pointed toward the Transylvania on the first day of Keeneland, and that got rained out as well,” Bradley recalled. “I thought, now I've been to two tracks that I've never known to cancel for rain or something like that, and it happened. I said, maybe the farmers out west should call to make a race for him out there during the drought season.”
Although Bradley acknowledged that he has an inherently flexible mindset when it comes to the development of horses, the inability to find a reliable schedule for his charge surely posed a challenge. After consulting with the owners, Bradley opted not to enter Divisidero in the re-drawn Transylvania, instead pointing the colt to the American Turf over the sweeping turns and long stretch of the Churchill Downs grass course. With sunny skies and a smooth trip, the son of Kitten's Joy jetted past rivals around the far turn and motored home in an electrifying 3/4-length score over A Lot (Tapit).
“This horse has really got it upstairs and he does anything you want,” remarked the trainer. “After the race, I went back to the test barn with him and he kept looking out the barn instead of drinking, watching what was going on. He's a very intelligent horse and he knows what he's there to do already.”
If Divisidero's mental sharpness belies his relative lack of seasoning, Bradley said he sees significant room for improvement as the colt continues to grow.
“I don't even think he's close to being where he's going to show us what he really is,” Bradley continued. “I haven't had to train on him at all, and he's so easy on himself. I really think that once he matures more physically, he's going to be even more of a beast. I feel really good about him.”
Bradley currently trains three horses for Gunpowder Farms–started by Maryland native Kiethley after his retirement from the finance industry–with more 2-year-olds on the way from Florida. The trainer said he will continue to evaluate options for a next start for Divisidero.
“We're just kind of waiting,” said Bradley. “Obviously there's the [GI Belmont Derby July 4], which is an invitational, so we've got to get an invitation for that. But there are a couple other races out there that we might look at before that. The owners are great. They're very patient–fairly new to the game–but I really feel like we're on the same page when it comes to developing young horses.”
Bradley added that many of his other late-blooming 3-year olds could be debuting in June and July, including a Super Saver filly that is set to arrive under his care next week. For Bradley, bringing young horses like Divisidero along at their own pace is what the game is all about.
“I think having a few horses like [dual-champion] Groupie Doll and Brass Hat in my barn has helped me get a few others,” concluded the conditioner. “It's helped get my name out there where I can have a few young horses, and that's what I like–trying to develop a young horse.”
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