"He got mean, and all of a sudden he wants to come over the gate and charge at people. He's just got too much energy pent up inside of him."
Bugger Bruiser is one of three Ontario-sired colts in the top 10. The son of Believeinbruiser equaled his lifetime best in the 2013 OSS Super Final with a gritty 1:50.3 win at Mohawk Racetrack.
At 16-1, Bugger Bruiser comes in at #8 in Trot Magazine's 2014 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book. After entering the Carmen Auciello stable midway through his freshman season, Bugger Bruiser won all four of his starts. Auciello provided Trot Insider with an update.
Where did he winter?
"He stayed in my barn all Winter. We haven't had a horse as good as him so we wanted to keep him close to home and keep him in our care. "
How long was he turned out?
"We never really let him down. He stayed walking on the Equicizer every day so he didn't get turned out. January 1 he started back jogging."
Where are you at with him right now?
"He's been in 2:10, I think the Sires Stakes got pushed back a little bit so there's no rush for him really to race until then."
Have you noticed any changes from last year to this year?
"He's filled out a bit, he's put on some muscle and you can just tell he wants to get at it. "
When will he qualify?
"He's pretty close; he's about a month away from qualifying now. I'm probably going to qualify him two or three times, it all depends on when the first OSS is -- that will be his first race."
What will his early schedule look like leading up to the Pepsi NA Cup?
"OSS and the Somebeachsomewhere."
What does his tentative schedule look like after the NA Cup?
"He wasn't staked to anything as a yearling so he literally was OSS [eligible] as a two-year-old and this year we've made some payments to some bigger ones, including the Meadowlands Pace."