Belmont, Woody Stephens Remain Options for The Wine Steward

The Wine Steward | Chelsea Durand

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.

Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.

Copy Article Link

Liked this article? Read more like this.

  1. Mark Cornett Joins TDN Writers' Room Podcast
  2. How I Got Hooked On Racing: Richard Migliore, Sol Kumin
  3. 'Every Day Is A Good Day' For Poindexter
  4. Canadian Champion Tyson To Take Up Stud Duty At Stone Jug In PA
  5. Freshman Title Going to the Wire
X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.