Campbell to give Buter Lucky Chucky 'pep talk'

With Hall of Fame driver John Campbell attending a family wedding in Canada on Friday night, July 2, trainer Chuck Sylvester has turned to Tyler Buter to drive the reigning Dan Patch Award winner Lucky Chucky in the 3-year-old colt’s 2010 debut at the Meadowlands. Delayed one week after coming down with a slight virus, Lucky Chucky will start from post one in the $80,900 Historic Dickerson Cup. 

Campbell said Thursday morning that he plans on talking to the 24-year-old Buter about Lucky Chucky, who is coming off a season in which the son of Windsong’s Legacy won nine of 12 starts, including the Valley Victory and Matron finals, and earned $667,792 for Sylvester and partners Neal Goldman and Amy Stoltzfus. 

“I’ll talk to Tyler and give him a little background on the horse and how he handles it and the rest of it, that will be up to him,” said Campbell. “That’s why he’s driving; I’m not going to tell him how to drive him. And he can take it from there.” 

A native of Michigan, Buter has quickly burst onto the national scene the past few years. Currently 11th on the dash-winning list at the Meadowlands, Buter won a career high 444 races in 2007, and has purse earnings of more than $2 million in each of the past three years, including a career-high $2.5 million last year. 

The Dickerson Cup could also be an early preview for the Hambletonian as Lucky Chucky isn’t the only top contender lining up behind the gate. The race will also be the season debut of 2009 Peter Haughton Memorial winner Holiday Road, who will leave from post two with Brian Sears driving for trainer Greg Peck. 

The eight-horse field also includes newly-crowned New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Muscle Massive; Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner Pilgrims Chuckie; Wishing Stone, a two-time stakes winner during Grand Circuit action last fall at The Red Mile; Coco Lindy, winner of the 2009 Kindgergarten Classic at Vernon Downs; recent New Jersey Sire Stakes winner Temple Of Doom; and Classic Viking, still searching for his first career victory but a runner-up in New Jersey Sire Stakes action last year.

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