Burke Brigade bragging rights on the line in Saturday’s Cutler
by Debbie Little
They say there is no “I” in “Team,” but harness racing is not a team sport, so when it comes to Saturday’s Arthur J. Cutler Memorial at The Meadowlands, Burke Brigade caretakers Joseph “Jo Jo” Tosies and Alex Peralta will be battling it out for bragging rights.
Technically, Peralta and Tosies won’t be the ones coming to blows, instead they’ll let their charges, Chapercraz and Lexus Kody, do the fighting for them.
“It’s a really tough field with nice horses,” Peralta said. “I want to win, he [Tosies] wants to win, we all want to win.”
On paper, reigning Dan Patch Trotter of the Year Lexus Kody and Fair Island Farm Caretaker of the Year Tosies have the edge as the 3-1 morning-line favorites from post 8 in the field of nine 4-and-up open trotters.
“So, you’d rather draw better, but it is what it is,” Tosies said. “It’s basically his first stakes start [this year], and he’s a good enough horse where he should be able to overcome it and I just want to see him race well, and then just keep moving forward. I mean, hopefully we’ll win, but I just want to see him race well, come out of it safe, and just keep his confidence intact and keep going forward.”
On May 2, in his first start of the season, Lexus Kody finished second to stablemate Antognoni S, also one of Peralta’s charges.
“We have a nice friendly rivalry,” Tosies said of Peralta. “Matter of fact, after that race, he was afraid to tease me.”
Tosies wasn’t the only one unhappy with the loss.
“When he got beat, he was actually mad… he pinned his ears [after the race in the paddock],” Tosies said of the 8-year-old gelded son of Archangel—Lexus Helios. “He didn’t like to get beat. That’s the one aspect of him that I really liked the last couple years, his desire, because there have been times he wasn’t at his best, and he still managed to gut it out.”
Like Lexus Kody, Chapercraz, who Peralta lovingly refers to as “my old man” also finished second in his last start.
The 6-year-old gelded son of Crazy Wow—Chaperess is 12-1 from post 2 in the Cutler and will be driven by the red-hot Joe Bongiorno.
“You can put him in any kind of spot you want,” Peralta said of Chapercraz. “He’s got the speed to get to the front, and he loves to fight, he loves to pass horses, and he can win, too.”
Tosies said that “Kody” may have still been a little under the weather heading into his last start, but that he’s good to go now.
“He needed that start, and he got beat by a good horse,” Tosies said, adding with a laugh, “Unfortunately, Ronnie was right.”
Burke was quoted earlier this season saying that he thought Antognoni S might be better than Lexus Kody.
“All kidding aside, that’s a real good horse that beat him,” Tosies said. “So, yeah, he’s doing great. Matter of fact, Tuesday [May 12], coming in from the field, he was up in the air and just acting like his old self.
“We’ve just got to pray for a nice, clean trip, and we should be all right.”
At the end of the day, if Lexus Kody doesn’t win, Tosies wants the victory to go to Chapercraz, Peralta, and the Burke Brigade.
“It’s a team,” Tosies said. “There are no individuals.
“The sport, you know, it’s supposed to be fun. And that’s why I still do it, because I love horses. We have fun in our barn. Me and Alex, we jab at each other back and forth all the time.”
Tosies said he has nothing but respect for Peralta, the senior member of the Burkes’ caretaking staff.
“We joke around that he’s like Ronnie’s son because he’s been working for them for so long,” Tosies said.
Peralta said he couldn’t have chosen a better group to work for.
“I started with Mickey [Burke], Sr. when he only had like eight horses in Jersey,” Peralta said. “I have over 20 years with them. I’m happy with the people that are around. I’m happy with my boss. I’m happy with the kind of horses that I’m taking care of, and that’s cool.”
As for his rivalry with Tosies, Peralta was very matter of fact.
“We do what we can, we try to do the best, and we love to win, and that’s the best part,” Peralta said.
Lexus Kody will have Yannick Gingras back in the bike for the Cutler. Gingras had to drive Antognoni S on May 2 against Kody, because he is a co-owner of the 6-year-old gelded son of Father Patrick—Bouncing Bax. Antognoni S is not eligible to the Cutler.
“It’s going to be interesting, but Kody’s got enough speed where he should be able to keep himself out of trouble,” Tosies said. “But as far as him and his attitude and soundness, he couldn’t be doing any better.”
