Poseidon likely comeback spot for Cherry Wine

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Dale Romans is hoping the wonders of equine medicine will once again make Cherry Wine a player on the big stage.

After nailing Nyquist for second behind Exaggerator in the Preakness last May, Cherry Wine failed to hit the board in all four subsequent races. But a throat operation after his last start Nov. 19 at Churchill Downs appears to have remedied the root of the colt’s problems, said Romans.

“He couldn’t breathe,” Romans said Friday during training hours at Gulfstream. “But he’s come back a new horse. His last two works over this track have been super. We’re excited about having him back and seeing what he can do again.”

Bred and owned by Bill Pacella, Frank Jones Jr., and Frank Shoop, Cherry Wine is still eligible for a second-level allowance condition after 13 career starts. But Romans believes the 4-year-old colt is ready to make his presence felt in the ranks of the elite, so the inaugural Poseidon Stakes on the Pegasus World Cup undercard next Saturday is his next likely race.

Romans said the owners are considering a deal that would make Cherry Wine the provisional backup in case another Romans trainee, Prayer for Relief, is unable to make the Pegasus. The intention is for Jeff Weiss to be represented by Prayer for Relief in a joint-venture agreement with Zayat Stables, but if something changes before Pegasus entries are drawn Monday, Cherry Wine would be the stand-in for Weiss.