Patience paying off for Weaver with Vekinda

ELMONT, N.Y. - It’s always nice for a trainer to have a patient owner when giving a horse time to overcome an ailment and then have that horse come back and run well. It’s even nicer when the trainer is the owner of said horse.

George Weaver trains, owns - and for good measure - is the breeder of Vekinda. On Sept. 6, off a more than 16-month layoff, Vekinda rewarded Weaver’s patience with a professional-looking first-level New York-bred allowance win at Saratoga. Thursday, Vekinda looks to clear the next condition in a second-level allowance/optional $45,000 claimer that serves as the feature on Belmont Park’s nine-race card.

Vekinda had not run since April 2025 when second to the promising filly Naive Melody in a first-level statebred allowance. Vekinda remained in steady training and was entered in Saratoga in July 2025 but was scratched by the veterinarians for lameness the morning of his race. A month later, after Weaver got that resolved, he ultimately sent the gelding home because he didn’t like the way he was moving.

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“I own the horse, so I had the luxury of forgetting about him for probably longer than he needed to be forgotten about,” Weaver said. “He came back good. I’m very happy with him.”

In his Sept. 6 allowance win, Vekinda, a gelding by the Weaver-trained Grade 1 winner Vekoma, stalked the pace from second, seized control of the race in upper stretch and won while not really being threatened under Manny Franco.

“I like the way he won up there and he’s a big solid colt that you could make a case that he might be a horse that might move forward off a race that,” Weaver said. “I feel like the horse is doing well. In my mind I think it’s a bigger jump from a maiden into a New York bred a-other-than than it is from a New York bred a-other-than to a New York-bred two-other-than.”

Weaver also sends out Bold Fortune, who didn’t fare as well off a lengthy layoff in this condition on Sept. 5. Party in the Army and Factually Correct finished noses apart when second and third behind Three Bs in that same race and are back in here.

This race includes some hard-knockers seeking to regain past glory, led by Radio Red, who in May won the Hayesfield Stakes for New York-breds. After finishing last of 12 in the John Morissey Stakes, Radio Red is back against statebreds and being offered for the optional-claiming price.

What’s Up Bro, a nine-time winner, finished last in open-company turf allowance last out. Now he returns to dirt and New York-bred company. Two starts back, he fished second to Anyway at odds of 23-1 in this condition.

Grand Opening ships up from Maryland and is being offered for the tag. Unbroken Chain won this condition in April and this time is being offered for the tag after three drubbings in open company.

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