Yonkers, NY — For Ron Buker, part of the fun of owning Standardbred racehorses is sharing the experience with the whole family. That’s why on race nights, Ron, his wife Briana, and their three children all gather in front of the TV to root the horses on and share quality time together.

“What really got me into buying more horses was I have three kids. When we turn the TV on to watch the horses race, they would say, ‘daddy, there’s your horse.’ I would say, ‘no, this horse is all of ours.’ That’s priceless, a bond like that,” Buker said. “The kids absolutely love horses. When the horses do race on TV, we all sit together and watch, get excited. Win or lose, it’s a priceless moment with everybody together having a good time.”

Buker was a longtime patron of Dover Downs before he relocated to South Carolina for work. He always dreamed of being more than just a fan and took the plunge in January 2019, becoming an owner on the Delaware circuit. In the short time since, Buker or his Bukers Stable expanded to racing across the U.S., starting horses in 289 races. Horses owned wholly or in part by the Bukers have won 56 races, placed in another 86 and earned $634,009. The stable has also raced horses in Australia.

“I owned one and it wins, then you get the itch; you buy another one and then the next thing you know, you have a bunch of them,” Buker said.

One of the stars in Buker’s current lineup of 12 horses is Lady Dela Renta A, an Australian-bred Well Said daughter who has won three straight races at Yonkers and will try to make it four in a row in the $25,000 Filly and Mare Open Handicap Pace Thursday night (Sept. 17).

Imported to the U.S. last summer, Lady Dela Renta A made an immediate impact, earning a 1:49.2 lifetime mark at Pocono in just her third Stateside start Sept. 3, 2019 for Blindswitch Racing and Dolne Farm. Bukers Stable joined the partnership this February and as of Aug. 27, assumed sole ownership of the standout mare.

Lady Dela Renta A looked to be a rising star last fall and winter, scoring a neck win in the local Filly and Mare Open Handicap Oct. 4, 2019 and three open wins at Saratoga from October to December.

She entered the first leg of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series at Yonkers March 13, but when the series was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, she headed to the Midwest. Lady Dela Renta A was winless in four starts in the distaff open at Scioto Downs before her connections made a change.

“When she was out there in Ohio, she wasn’t racing to her full potential. Since she is an Australian horse, I knew the one trainer who would be the best for her was (Shane and Lauren Tritton’s) Team Tritton. I called (Shane) up and said, ‘I want to send her to you, you’re going to be the best for her.’ He said he liked her in Australia and they would gladly take her,” Buker said.

“They take really, really good care of her. I think she’s Lauren’s pet,” Buker said. “They key behind it all is taking care of the horse. They’re not out there racing her every single week and hard racing her. It’s not all about drying all the money out of her right away, it’s taking care of a good horse.”

After making her last Scioto start July 10, Lady Dela Renta A qualified with Lauren Tritton in the sulky at Yonkers July 31. She scorched the track with a 1:52.2 victory, pacing a final quarter of :27.2. Lady Dela Renta A then posted three straight pari-mutuel wins at Yonkers with Jordan Stratton driving: a 3-3/4 length win in a $15,500 overnight Aug. 13 and back-to-back wins at the $18,000 level by one length and 3-1/4 lengths, respectively, Aug. 20 and Sept. 3.

“With her, it’s the right trainer for the right horse,” Buker said. “It just goes to show that if you take care of the horse — because they aren’t machines — they’ll take care of you and then they show their full potential.

“When they qualified her, that was a wow factor. She came back and won the first race, second race, and then the last race. This is for real here, she’s on a roll,” Buker said. “I think the first race stood out because I was anxious to see her in the first start with Shane and Lauren. After the first race, there was a lot of excitement. I think the last race stood out because she was in with a good group of horses and it looked like she won with ease.”

Lady Dela Renta A drew post three in Thursday night’s feature and will have Stratton in the bike again. The pair are the 3-1 second choice on the morning line. Favored at 5-2 is Snobbytown, a Ron Burke trainee who twice won and twice finished second in this local feature in four starts between June 23 and July 30 (her last pari-mutuel outing). She will return off a runner-up finish to Caviart Ally in a Meadowlands qualifier Sept. 5.

The field also includes Neverforgetwhour, who like Lady Dela Renta A, streaks into this race with three straight wins; she won local $15,500 overnights by a head, nose, and one length Aug. 13, Aug, 27, and Sept. 3, respectively. With regular driver Stratton opting for Lady Dela Renta A, Scott Zeron gets the call on the 9-2 shot on the morning line.

Coral Bella, who steps up off a win in the non-winners of eight condition last out, Robyn Camden, Apple Bottom Jeans, and Imprincessgemma A complete the lineup.

“I know we’re in with good company, but if any horse is ready to go 4-for-4, it’s her. She’s got the perfect draw, perfect spot. Jordan is the key man. He knows the horse, loves the horse, and when you can get a driver that loves and knows the horse like he does, you can’t lose,” Buker said. “We haven’t seen her best yet. She hasn’t been unleashed yet. Her best definitely is yet to come. She hasn’t let it all out and I think we’re going to see a little glimpse of it (tonight).”

Yonkers Raceway features live harness racing Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights through Dec. 22. First post time is 7:12 p.m.