We’ve long been big fans of Bucchero, and have been excited to recommend mares to him since his transfer to New York, including four that went his way in 2025. Among those that will be heading his way on our recommendation in 2026 is the young black-type earner Princess Phone.
As you’re no doubt aware from reading about him in various industry “Value Sire” pieces, Bucchero’s proven consistency and versatility (which he demonstrated on the racetrack and is now passing along at stud) make him exactly the type of stallion that’s perfect for the New York-bred market, where Belmont Park is about to reopen with a new synthetic surface for use in the winter months, and where breeder bonuses for state-sired runners are twice what the bonus would be for an out of state (i.e., Kentucky)-sired runner. Not to mention a program where state-bred restricted races have purse parity with their open-company equivalents.
Bucchero was a winner and black-type performer each year from 2YO through 6YO; on dirt, turf and synthetic; and from 5 furlongs to 1-1/16 miles. He scored his biggest victories when going back-to-back in Keeneland’s Woodford Stakes-G2 at 5YO and 6YO at 5-1/2 furlongs on turf. That status as predominantly a turf sprinter, when combined with being a son of Kantharos, meant that he started his stallion career in Florida rather than Kentucky. But the unwavering and vocal support of his ownership group meant that he got every chance in Florida, covering 471 mares in his five years there.
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From his first 185 runners, 142 have won a race (77%), including 18 total black-type horses (10% from runners, an excellent figure). Those include Eclipse Champion Sprinter candidate (and G1 winner) Book’em Danno and current multiple Grade 3 winner Queen Maxima. He continues to maintain a higher AEI than CI, which is a ratio that we put a lot of stock in, and his runners have shown the same surface versatility as Bucchero himself did (for example, Book’em Danno is a G1 winner on dirt, Queen Maxima is a G3 winner on turf, and Bucaro is a black-type winner on all-weather).
Princess Phone was also versatile, having won five races from 5 furlongs on turf to 1-1/16 miles on dirt, at 3YO through 7YO, having picked up open company black-type when 2nd in the $150k Chicken Fried Stakes.
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Her speed and versatility make her a perfect match for Bucchero, as does her leggy physique (a trait which Bucchero appreciates in his mates) and her pedigree. On the latter point, she represents the Bucchero/A.P. Indy cross which is responsible for the aforementioned (and blazingly fast) Queen Maxima, plus black-type winner Buccherino and another black-type earner from just 20 starters (good for an “A+” rating on TrueNicks). Plus there are no fewer than five winners under Princess Phone’s first two dams from Bucchero’s Storm Cat sire-line, so this cross works from both angles.
For a breeder hoping to race his mares’ offspring, Bucchero is the perfect stallion in the New York market, and we can envision his foal out of Princess Phone racking up wins and breeder bonuses on multiple NYRA surfaces over the course of a long career!