The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso), most recently seen finishing second in the May 11 GIII Peter Pan S., is being considered for either the 10-furlong GI Belmont S. or the seven-furlong GI Woody Stephens S., both at Saratoga June 8.
“It depends on the trip, but I think he can get it [the distance]– he's bred to get it and should be able to,” David Staudacher, who co-owns the colt with Paradise Farms Corp., said regarding the 10-furlong Belmont distance. “I think he likes the track up there, so we'll see what [trainer] Mike [Maker] decides to do. We just have to see how the horse is doing. He's a really nice horse and we don't want to rush him. We'd love to be in the Belmont, so we have our fingers crossed.”
The Wine Steward worked four furlongs in :48.00 (23/180) at Churchill Downs Saturday.
“I was there and he worked pretty easy and looked good,” said Staudacher. “Mike is going to have to decide on which race in the next week or so. We're still undecided. He had a couple tough races, so we've got to make sure he bounces back right.”
The Wine Steward opened his career with three straight wins last summer, including victories in the Bashford Manor S. at Ellis Park and the Funny Cide S. at Saratoga. He concluded his juvenile campaign with a runner-up effort in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and opened 2024 with a runner-up effort in the Apr. 12 GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. He was 3/4 lengths behind Antiquarian (Preservationist) when runner-up in the Peter Pan.
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