Belmont Stakes: Slowed by allergies, The Wine Steward steps up to the bar
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Not by design, The Wine Steward has shown up fashionably late to the Triple Crown party that ends Saturday with the $2 million Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. His connections hope it’s not too late for him to make an impression in the 3-year-old division.
Among the earlier 2-year-olds to get started in 2023, The Wine Steward didn’t make his 3-year-old debut until April when he finished second in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland. The start of his season was delayed due to an allergic reaction to something, trainer Mike Maker said. It was the same reason The Wine Steward was scratched out of last November’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile the morning of the race.
“He broke out, his legs were swollen,” Maker said, referring to the Breeders’ Cup. “We did allergy tests on him, there were a couple of things he was allergic to.”
Maker said a similar issue developed during the winter in South Florida when he was trying to get the colt ready for the series of races for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream Park.
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“I don’t know if it was the straw or what,” Maker said. “We changed that up and haven’t had a problem since.”
The Wine Steward debuted last May at Belmont Park, winning his first three races including the Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs. Following a victory in the Funny Cide Stakes for New York-breds at Saratoga, The Wine Steward made his graded stakes debut in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. In that race, The Wine Steward got through on the rail in the stretch before getting tackled by Locked, who outfought The Wine Steward to win by three-quarters of a length.
It would be six months before The Wine Steward would run again, this time making his 3-year-old debut in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on April 13. He raced an up-close fourth down the backside, tipped outside toward the top of the stretch and tried to engage the front-running Encino, who repelled The Wine Steward and beat him by three-quarters of a length.
“Second best, he had every chance to get by the winner,” Maker said. “I’m sure he benefited from the race.”
On May 11, The Wine Steward ran in the Grade 3 Peter Pan at Aqueduct where he stalked the pacesetting Unique Insight, persevered past that one in midstretch, but was outfinished by Antiquarian, again falling three-quarters of a length short.
“If he didn’t press the leader [Unique Insight], the leader probably wins,” Maker said.
Coming out of the Peter Pan, Maker thought the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby on June 22 might have been a logical next spot. Maker liked the timing of that race and figured that between the Belmont and Sunday’s Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs, the Ohio Derby could get somewhat lost in the shuffle among major 3-year-olds.
But Peter Proscia, part owner of The Wine Steward, preferred the Belmont and Maker said there were no major reasons not to acquiesce to that request.
“Peter puts a lot into the game, he’s from New York, understands the importance of the Belmont Stakes,” Maker said. “It’s not like [The Wine Steward] doesn’t deserve this chance. He’s never been worse than second and all of his seconds were strong races.”
Though Luis Saez had ridden The Wine Steward in four of his six starts, he is committed to Dornoch in the Belmont. Manny Franco, who rode The Wine Steward to a victory in the Funny Cide Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-olds here last year, has the call.
The Wine Steward arrived from Churchill Downs by van on Monday and simply jogged once around the Saratoga main track on Tuesday.
* Honor Marie, the eighth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, also arrived from Churchill on Monday and jogged once around Saratoga’s main track Tuesday morning.
* Mystik Dan, the Kentucky Derby winner, and Seize the Grey, the Preakness winner, both galloped over the main track Tuesday for the first time since arriving in Saratoga.
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