Harlan Malter, managing partner of Ironhorse Racing stable, relocated his stallion Bucchero from Florida to New York in anticipation of the reopening of the renovated Belmont Park in 2026, which will feature a new one-mile Tapeta synthetic track for winter racing. Malter, a New Yorker at heart and former Columbia University pitcher, sees great opportunity in New York’s robust breeders’ program and the synthetic surface’s benefits for horse soundness and competitiveness. Bucchero, a versatile and durable racehorse with nearly $950,000 in earnings, has produced successful progeny including graded stakes winners Book’em Danno and Queen Maxima, demonstrating his ability to sire quality sprinters and two-turn runners.

The New York Racing Association’s plan to achieve purse parity for New York-breds by 2027 further enhances the financial incentives for breeding in the state, encouraging increased support for stallions like Bucchero. With over 185 mares bred in 2025 and his first New York-sired runners expected in 2027, Bucchero is positioned as a key asset in promoting New York breeding. Malter’s enthusiasm for the new Belmont Park and the state’s commitment to racing excellence reflects a broader optimism that New York will attract top breeders and competitors, fulfilling the promise that “if you build it, they will come.”