Vernon O. Underwood S. (gr. III)
(gr. III , 6f ,)
BUSHWACKER
(DK B/ h,
118
lb) $65,800
Outflanker —Musical Score , by
Romantic Lead
B—Starship Stables,
FL.;
O—Currin, William L. and Eisman, Alvin;
T—William L. Currin
In Summation
(DK B/ h,
124
lb) $20,000
Put It Back —Fiesta Baby , by
Dayjur
B—Arthur I. Appleton,
FL.;
O—Waterford Stable;
T—Christophe Clement
Greg's Gold
(GR/RO g,
126
lb) $12,000
Lake George —Lake Windermere , by
Fit to Fight
B—Bill Boswell,
CA.;
O—William R. Boswell;
T—David E. Hofmans
Margins: ¾, neck, 4. Others: Council Member 120($6,000) , Double Action 118($2,000) . Winning Jockey, Joseph Talamo.
At age 5, Bushwacker won a graded stakes for his first stakes win with a three-quarters of a length victory over In Summation in the Dec. 2 Vernon O. Underwood Stakes (gr. III) at Hollywood Park. The son of Outflanker came into the race off a victory in an optional claiming contest at Hollywood Nov. 10.
“I thought he was clearly the best horse in the race,” said trainer Bill Currin, who owns Bushwacker in partnership with Alvin Eisman. “My prediction was if he could get a comfortable early quarter-mile they would have to catch me, and they couldn’t catch me.”
In 2004, Bushwacker broke his maiden in his first start and immediately followed that race with a second-place finish in the Hollywood Prevue Stakes (gr. III). The Prevue was won by Declan’s Moon, who would go on to be named champion 2-year-old male that year. Other added-money performances by Bushwacker include a third-place finish in the 2006 Sunshine Millions Padua Stables Sprint Stakes.
Dick Lossen, agent for Oak Tree Farm, purchased Bushwacker for $47,000 at the 2003 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s August yearling sale from Cloverleaf Farms II, agent. He was bred in Florida by Starship Stables.
Bushwacker is out of the winning Romantic Lead mare Musical Score, who in turn is out of the unraced Four-and-Twenty mare Too Many Girls. Musical Score is a full sister to stakes winner All My Girls and a half-sister to stakes winner Father Don Juan (by Giacometti). Another one of her half-siblings, Proper Girl (by Proper Proof), went unraced but is the dam of stakes winners Romantic Girl and Our Girl Nessa. Too Many Girls is out of the stakes-winning Guerrero mare Soldier Girl, who also produced grade II winner Soldier’s Lark and stakes winner Born Fighter.
Musical Score was sold in foal to Halo’s Image to Stephen L. DiMauro, agent, for $7,000 at the 2003 OBS October mixed sale by Cloverleaf Farms II, agent. Joseph Raffa bred her three subsequent foals in Florida, including an unraced juvenile Mecke filly named Mecke Me Music and a yearling Essence of Dubai filly named Bella Essence. Briar Lane Farm purchased Bella Essence for $3,500 at the 2007 OBS August yearling sale from Kaizen Sales, agent.
Candace Anne Finnie is listed as the breeder of Musical Score’s latest offspring, a weanling filly by Mr. Livingston. The 17-year-old mare was bred to Exchange Rate for 2008.
Outflanker is the sire of 13 stakes winners including additional 2007 added-money winners Amazing Margery (PR-III), Marina Ballerina, Annabill, Saxet Heights, and Dobil Yack (in Mexico). The 13-year-old son of Danzig will stand the 2008 season at Maryland Stallion Station near Glyndon, Md., for a fee of $4,000.—A.H.D.
