Peter Pan leading contenders all have something to prove

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – At one point, New York Racing Association officials expected a large field, perhaps one bordering on capacity, for Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct.

It now appears the race will run with six starters.

Tuscan Gold, third in the Louisiana Derby and potentially the favorite in the Peter Pan, will scratch and run in the Preakness Stakes, trainer Chad Brown said Thursday. Additionally, Lonesome Boy, fourth in the Wood Memorial, was expected to scratch from the Peter Pan to run in Saturday’s $100,000 Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth Park, according to trainer Hugo Padilla.

The Wine Steward, Deterministic, and Antiquarian look to be the three protagonists in the Peter Pan, which is the local prep for the Belmont Stakes, which this year will be held on June 8 at Saratoga and run at 1 1/4 miles.

The Wine Steward, a New York-bred son of Vino Rosso, is coming off a runner-up finish behind Encino in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on April 13. Trainer Mike Maker explained that The Wine Steward, second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity last fall, “hit a couple of bumps in the road” on his way back to the races this year.

In the Lexington, The Wine Steward sat an up-close fourth behind the uncontested pacesetter Encino before tipping off the rail and confronting that horse at the quarter pole. The Wine Steward could not get by Encino, finishing three-quarters of a length behind him while finishing 8 1/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Dilger. Encino was entered in but scratched from the Kentucky Derby to a soft tissue strain.

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the“I thought he ran super coming off the bench, so expect him to move forward with a race under his belt,” Maker said of The Wine Steward.

All three of The Wine Steward’s wins have come at six furlongs, but Maker sees no issue with the horse at the 1 1/8-mile-distance of the Peter Pan.

“It’s something to look forward to; I don’t see him having any distance limitations,” Maker said. “I have a lot of confidence in our horse, expect a big effort.”

Luis Saez rides from post 3.

Deterministic came off a long layoff to win the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes, a one-turn mile race, by two lengths in the slop on March 2. He was sent off the 4-5 favorite in a field of 12 in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, his first try at 1 1/8 miles, and finished eighth, 17 3/4 lengths behind the winner, Resilience.

“He trained very well for the Wood and he ran very disappointing,” trainer Christophe Clement said. “He was rank, he was mentally unsettled. He’s more settled now. We’ll get a good reading on the race and it will tell us about his future.”

While Clement said he still has a question mark on whether Deterministic will be effective at 1 1/8 miles, he said the Wood performance “was so disappointing that I don’t think you can judge the distance from that race. He’s had three works, every work has been a better work.”

Joel Rosario rides Deterministic from what should become post 5.

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out the uncoupled pair of Antiquarian and Protective. Antiquarian finished fifth in the Louisiana Derby but he broke through the starting gate prior to the start of the race and had to be reloaded. He was three wide on the turn, four wide on the second turn, and five wide in the stretch. He fought on to the sixteenth pole before fading.

Protective is still a maiden, but ran on well to be third in the Wood with blinkers added for the first time.

Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Protective from the rail. John Velazquez is named on Antiquarian from what would become post 4 after scratches.

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Though Brown is now running Tuscan Gold in the Preakness, he will still have Unique Insight for the Peter Pan. The son of Gun Runner has won two races at the Peter Pan configuration of 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct, and he could turn out to be the controlling speed from post 2 under Eric Cancel.

Native Land has won his last two starts for trainer Riley Mott, including a 5 1/2-length maiden score at 1 1/8 miles at Oaklawn Park on March 9. He won a first-level allowance by a neck going 1 1/16 miles in the slop at Keeneland on April 10.

Junior Alvarado, aboard for the latter win, has the call from the outside post on Saturday.

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