BC Turf Sprint Hero Bacio Not Heading to Australia

Bacio, winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) Oct. 31 at Keeneland, will not head to Australia as originally planned. Trainer Wesley Ward told the Thoroughbred Daily News that the combination of the travel and the cost of the trip made it prohibitive to compete in the Feb. 13 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (G1) at Flemington Racecourse. "I have a very, very good feeling that he would win the race just because he's on the top of his game," Ward told TDN. "But the negative to that is that after going all that way and having to come home, it would probably impact his spring and early summer schedule. … We'd have to center on a late summer campaign to get him back going. So, we're not going to go. He's only 3. Maybe we can go next year." Ward added, "We had some discussions with the people over there. Somebody's got to pay for it and we asked if we could get some sort of compensation (from the Victoria Racing Club). When you go to Ascot, they give you a little stipend and that helps, but going to Ascot and going to Australia are two different animals. The Australian representatives were going to give us a travel allowance, but it just wasn't going to warrant the expense. That was a factor. We'd have to bring the team and (jockey) Juan Hernandez over there and it was going to cost a lot." The 3-year-old son of Maclean's Music dazzled at the world championships for his ownership group of MyRacehorse, Torie Gladwell, Deja Blu Stable, Jacob Shockley, Josh Messenger, Valerie Dailey, and Joshua Hanna. He completed the 5 1/2-furlong challenge in 1:02.11, besting his nearest rival by 2 lengths. That win improved his career record to 6-1-0 from seven starts and $1,229,959 in earnings. Gladwell, Cincinnati Equine, Borrowdale, Knollwood Farm, et al., bred the colt in Kentucky. After the Turf Sprint, Ward was enthusiastic about the opportunity and desire to race Bacio in Australia. "We have a big plan to go down to Australia in February, February 13, Black Caviar Lightning. I've never been to Australia, but I'm going to bring the whole family down, both my sons and my daughter and my daughter-in-law and my grandson, so I'm really looking forward to that. He's going into quarantine this evening." Now, he told TDN, he is targeting the 2027 Shakertown Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland before bringing Bacio back to Ascot Racecourse for the King Charles III Stakes (G1). Bacio won a handicap this summer at Ascot.