by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — After defeating Arch Madness, the richest Canadian-sired trotter in the history of the sport, by seven lengths in a sterling 1:53 in a qualifying race at Meadowlands Racetrack on March 30, Guccio served notice his 4-year-old campaign could indeed be something really special.

The son of Yankee Glide and Southern Senorita is owned by Christina Takter, Brixton Medical Ab, John and Jim Fielding and Goran Falk and is conditioned as well as piloted by Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter.

Purchased at the 2010 Lexington Selected Sale for $50,000, Guccio was originally named Let It Glide and is the only foal from his dam to earn more than $100,000.

Guccio will make his 4-year-old pari-mutuel debut on Friday (April 12) in a $30,000 conditioned race at the Meadowlands. In what will go off as race 11, the stallion will leave from the one hole and will face the likes of Arch Madness, Wishing Stone, Ice Machine and Opening Night.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Guccio has banked $812,233 in his first two seasons on the track.

“He has qualified really impressively, especially in the last one,” Jimmy Takter said. “We will see how he goes at the Meadowlands on Friday as it’s against aged horses and is a little test for him, but I think the horse can really do quite well this year.”

Guccio commenced his career in 2011 as a freshman with victories in two qualifiers at the Meadowlands on June 4 and June 23. It took Guccio five starts to break his maiden, which occurred on Sept. 2 at Mohawk Racetrack in a $105,743 division of the Champlain Stakes, but he certainly was not keeping shabby company.

He broke in his first pari-mutuel start on July 1 in a $20,500 New Jersey Sire Stake event, was second in the same company on July 8 and then came home eighth after making a pair of breaks in the $175,000 Sire Stake final on July 16. Guccio then broke at the start and finished seventh in his $20,000 Peter Haughton elimination on July 29 before winning another qualifier at Pocono Downs on August 25.

His next start was his maiden breaking victory before a sixth in his $30,000 William Wellwood elimination at Mohawk on Sept. 9 when he went off stride in the stretch.

Guccio’s last race of his 2-year-old campaign was a fifth in the $51,000 William Wellwood consolation after making another break at the three-quarter pole.

He earned $60,672 as a freshman and had a record of 7-1-1-0.

Guccio began his sophomore year with a win in a qualifying race at the Meadowlands on May 5 and captured his first start of the year, a $17,500 New Jersey Sire Stake contest on May 18. He followed that with a second behind stablemate Little Brown Fox in the $150,000 Sire Stakes final on June 2.

He then was second in his $29,100 Goodtimes elimination at Mohawk on June 9 and sixth in the $343,980 final the following week.

Heading into the summer, Guccio posted three second place finishes in a $153,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial division on July 14, his $70,000 Hambletonian elimination on July 28 and in the $1.5 million Hambletonian final on August 4.

His next engagement was an eighth place finish in the $500,000 Colonial at Harrah’s Philadelphia on August 19 after another break in the stretch.

During another trip to Canada in the fall, Guccio was third in both his $40,800 Canadian Trotting Classic elimination on Sept. 8 and the $1.03 million final the following week.

The colt then traveled to the Bluegrass State and triumphed in a $75,000 division of the Bluegrass Stake on Sept. 30 before finishing fifth in his $114,300 opening heat elimination of the Kentucky Futurity on Oct. 7.

Guccio returned to Canada in October to perform in the Breeders Crown. He was fifth in his $25,000 elimination on Oct. 20 and ninth in the $555,000 final after going off stride again.

Fotowon photo

Guccio was a 1:53 winner in the 2012 Matron final at Dover Downs.

The colt regrouped though and ended his season with victories in his $46,813 Matron elimination on Nov. 11 at Dover Downs and the $140,439 final on Nov. 18.

For the season, Guccio banked $751,561 on the strength of a 4-5-2 slate in 17 starts.

Takter did have the colt in hobbles earlier in his career. Not because he needed help staying on stride, but because he was a little slow leaving the gate, but they have been removed for this season.

“He had a little problem getting out of the gate at high speed and could be distanced at the start so that’s why we put them on him,” his trainer said. “He didn’t need them, but it was just to kind of get him in gear a little bit faster.”

He has always showed glimpses of ability, but maybe all Guccio truly required was some time to grow into himself, both physically and mentally.

“He’s matured a bit more,” Takter said on his transition to age 4. “He is a lot better mentally and of course in other ways, but he was kind of like a little baby when he was two, so he was up and down. He was like that last year too, but he’s a little more solid this year.”