The Aug. 21 Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) brought together sublime sprinters from around the world. In less than a minute, a United States speed sensation simply blew away his global rivals.
Britain, Ireland, France, and Australia all tried to beat Bacio, but they were left in the wake of an amazing American runner who brilliantly burst into stardom—and finally turned Wesley Ward's York heartbreak into happiness.
Acapulco, Golden Pal and, most infamously, Lady Aurelia came over and were tamed. The agony of those losses never deterred Ward from scratching his Nunthorpe itch and, in Bacio, there was never any doubt of defeat. It was all staggeringly smooth.
Having made a mockery of a handicap mark of 100 in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Handicap during the Royal Ascot meet, he was sent off the 3-1 favorite and pinged the gates under Juan Hernandez. From then, he was unstoppable—none of his 17 rivals laid a glove on him as he stormed to a 1 1/4-length triumph.
Starlust, winner of the 2024 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), finished second with Rumstar a nose back in third.
It was Keeneland, rather than the Knavesmire, where Ward watched his destiny fulfilled, but the feat was not lost on him from nearly 4,000 miles away.
"I've got this off my bucket list," he said on the phone. "This is one I've had in mind for quite a long time now to get it done. We all thought the great Frankie Dettori (on Lady Aurelia) had done it when he stood up and put his whip in the air, but it was so close that day I was thinking the opposite.
"To finally get this race knocked off the list is huge in a huge year for me. It's unbelievable."
Bacio flew home in a time of :59.42 for the 5 furlongs on good-to-soft turf. About 15 minutes after crossing the line, Hernandez dashed away from the racecourse and was up in the air.
He is riding in the Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) at Del Mar this weekend, and hot-footed it to a helicopter on the infield to make sure he could catch his flight from Heathrow back to the U.S. He had just over 2 1/2 hours on the clock to successfully make it on board the plane.
Running back to the weighing room, Hernandez said: "That was really special and all the credit goes to my horse, he's given me everything. He was training really well and had shaped really well here. I know a lot of people were saying he might not shape on the ground, but he ran great."
A raucous welcome awaited Bacio, a Kentucky-bred son of Maclean's Music , in the winner's enclosure from Ward's clan, including daughter-in-law Caitlin and assistant Blake Heap, who had been on hand for the 11 days they spent in York before the Nunthorpe. Where the trainer celebrated in Keeneland was a little calmer.
"I found a quiet place to watch him," he said. "As he was in the gate and was sprawled out behind, I was a little worried he was going to come out sideways, but he just popped out of there like a bunny rabbit.
"There was a bit of an unknown in how he would handle the ground, but in America he's got feet that would go in the mud. Some of them pop out and get beat early on, but this guy just kept on going, and the closer we got to the wire, I then heard everybody here was yelling and screaming. He had a lot of weight on his back in America!"
Even though Bacio was simply so great, Ward said: "He was going pretty easy all the way and it looked pretty good, but you never know with the last little bit, as I know from this race in the past!"
With York now conquered, adding Australia to his remarkable global feats is what Ward wants to do next. Taking on the might of what Melbourne has to offer in February has already been earmarked, but less of a commute awaits Bacio next.
"We're counting on coming back to his home track at Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup and then on to Australia for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes," Ward said.
With the Nunthorpe victory, Bacio earned a free pass to the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.
"The Breeders' Cup is our next target, but Australia is the one I'm really looking forward to," Ward said. "Actually trying to facilitate that plan to get to the Southern Hemisphere is unusual ground for me."
Ward has already had one go at Flemington's Lightning Stakes (G1)—Cannonball was ninth in the 2010 running—but as the Nunthorpe showed, the trainer never accepts failure.
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