Vino Rosso saved the best for last, fitting for a horse who aged like fine red wine. His victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the final start of his career, was years in the making, owing to several key decisions along the way. First was the keen eye and horsemanship of J.J. Crupi, who picked out Vino Rosso as a yearling for owners Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola and put him through his early training. Next was his connections – including trainer Todd Pletcher – ending his 3-year-old season after the Travers, giving him a lengthy respite, and pointing to his 4-year-old year. And last was coming to Santa Anita in May for the Gold Cup, which he won, providing a road map for the Breeders’ Cup more than five months later. “We had a blueprint in place for what worked,” Pletcher said. Did it ever. The Classic marked his second Grade 1 victory, with a third taken away owing to a disqualification in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Vino Rosso officially was 3 for 6 in 2019, and in the Classic he avenged setbacks to Code of Honor in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and McKinzie in the Whitney. :: Full list of 2019 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories If Vino Rosso wins this title, he will emulate his sire, Curlin, who was champion older male of 2008, also at age 4. Vino Rosso is out of the Street Cry mare Mythical Bride and was bred by John Gunther, best known for breeding 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. Vino Rosso was purchased for $410,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale. “We always felt he’d be a better 4-year-old than a 3-year-old,” Pletcher said. That anticipated 4-year-old campaign began with a victory in the Stymie at Aqueduct following a layoff of more than six months. Two starts later, Vino Rosso was sent to Santa Anita for the Gold Cup, whose 1 1/4 miles made it a perfect dress rehearsal for the Classic. After winning the Gold Cup, Vino Rosso finished third in the Whitney, behind McKinzie and Yoshida. Pletcher then decided to bypass the Woodward and point to the Jockey Club Gold Cup. John Velazquez had ridden Vino Rosso in his first 13 starts, but he had a conflict for the Jockey Club Gold Cup and opted for Code of Honor, for whom he also had been the regular rider. Irad Ortiz Jr. took over. The Jockey Club Gold Cup was controversial. Vino Rosso finished first by a nose, but Code of Honor – and Velazquez – were placed first by the stewards, who ruled bumping impacted the outcome. That made the Classic all the more important. Vino Rosso touted himself all week at Santa Anita. “It’s been a while since I’ve felt I was coming into a race of this magnitude with a horse who was doing this well,” said Pletcher, who won the Classic for the first time. “Everything he was doing indicated he was sitting on a lifetime best performance. “He redeemed himself, left no doubt, won authoritatively. That was the strongest performance we’ve seen from a horse this year.” Vino Rosso is now at Spendthrift Farm, awaiting the start of breeding season, as is fellow finalist Mitole.