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| Staff Writer |
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Paradise Farms and David Staudacher's New York-bred The Wine Steward, who has achieved Group One placement, is being considered for participation in the 10-furlong US$2 million Gr.1 Belmont Stakes and the seven-furlong US$500,000 Gr.1 Woody Stephens races, both scheduled for 8th June at Saratoga Race Course.
Under the guidance of trainer Mike Maker, the offspring of Vino Rosso, the 2019 Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Classic champion, recently secured a narrow second-place finish behind Belmont Stakes hopeful Antiquarian in the Gr.3 Peter Pan on 11th May at Belmont at the Big A.
In his last three races, The Wine Steward has come in second each time, with notable performances in the Gr.1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland last October and the Gr.3 Lexington in April at the same venue to start off his second year of racing. The Wine Steward recently completed his first workout since the Peter Pan on 25th May at Churchill Downs, clocking a half-mile in :48.
"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 made a successful debut by winning a five-furlong sprint at Belmont Park last May, and then went on to win the six-furlong Bashford Manor at Ellis Park against open-company stakes. After that, he achieved a narrow victory over the highly placed El Grande O in the state-bred Funny Cide, a six-furlong sprint at Saratoga, before making his two-turn debut in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Futurity.
"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," Staudacher said regarding the 10-furlong Belmont Stakes distance. "I think he likes the track up there, so we'll see what Mike 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 isn't the only one being considered by Paradise Farms and Staudacher. They are also thinking about entering Sugoi, a graded stakes-winner, and Really Good, a graded stakes-placed horse, in either the 1 3/16-mile, US$1 million Gr.1 Manhattan or the two-mile US$250,000 Gr.2 Belmont Gold Cup. The Belmont Gold Cup will be a "Golden Ticket" event, granting the winner an automatic berth into the AUS$8.4 million Gr.1 Lexus Melbourne Cup.