Buckeye Nation scores in Sydney

Ohio-bred and appropriately named Buckeye Nation won the $20,000(Aus.) Stallion Station Chariots of Fire preliminary over the seven-eighths mile Tabcorp Park Menangle oval north of Sydney on Friday night. He then drew post 10 for the $200,000 championship, set for next Friday night, July 30. 

Buckeye Nation, who was bred in Ohio by Kathleen Borchers, is trained and driven by Luke McCarthy, who arranged for the purchase of the 4-year-old son of Allamerican Native last fall while he was in the Lexington, Ky., working at The Red Mile. 

Buckeye Nation and McCarthy managed to get away second on the pylons as Villagem, a 6-year-old son of Village Jasper and a Fake Left mare, set the pace. Turning into the homestretch Villagem was still the leader and challengers were four-deep on the outside. McCarthy was looking for racing room and finally got it when Villagem drifted out just enough for Buckeye Nation to shoot up the inside. 

Buckeye Nation won by a neck over Villagem in a mile rate of 1:54 6/10s for the 1,609 meter race, with the last quarter clocked in :26 8/10ths. 

Buckeye Nation is the sixth foal of All Out Of Love, a daughter of Falcon Almahurst and the Steady Beau mare Steady Miss Karen. All Out Of Love’s first foal was Chrominator, who took a mark of 1:49.4 and earned $143,617. The Buckeye-themed names started with the next foal, named Tressel, after Ohio State University football coach Jim Tressel. 

Buckeye Nation was sold as a yearling for $8,000 as Harrisburg and took a mark of 1:53.1f as a 2 year old and won five of nine starts—including a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes—for trainer Robert Reynolds Jr. Andrew McCarthy, Luke’s brother, drove the horse for Reynolds as a 3 year old before the brothers made arrangements to purchase the horse later in the summer. 

Click here to watch the video of the Chariots of Fire. The chart of the race, Race 5, will appear, then click on “last lap replay” graphic to the right of the chart to watch the race.

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