Pee Wee Reese getting a respite

ARCADIA, Calif. – Pee Wee Reese, a winner of two stakes at Santa Anita since July, will not race again until the spring at the earliest.

Trainer Phil D’Amato said on Sunday that Pee Wee Reese will have a rest at owner and breeder Nick Alexander’s central California farm after tailing off in recent weeks. Pee Wee Reese won the Joe Hernandez Stakes on the hillside turf course Jan. 1 and was nominated for the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes at a mile on turf last Saturday before D’Amato opted not to start the 5-year-old horse.

“We’ll take him to the farm and give him a breather,” D’Amato said. “He gives you a couple of brilliant races and needs a little time.

“In 30 days, we’ll see whether he’s picked it up at the farm.”

A California-bred by Tribal Rule, Pee Wee Reese has won 6 of 11 starts and earned $345,490. Pee Wee Reese won the Grade 3 American Stakes here last July but did not start again until he finished third in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar on Nov. 26.