It could be an encore or merely a prelude, but it shouldn’t be unfamiliar to hear that trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado connected for a stakes victory at Aqueduct on Saturday. With a week and nearly 3,000 miles between Alvarado and a ride on Sovereignty in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the jockey rode 6-year-old mare Sterling Silver to a late-flying victory in the $200,000 Iroquois Stakes on Empire Showcase Day. “She was really good today,” Alvarado said. “She always tries, but today, she was finally able to get it done. Had a good trip.” Sterling Silver entered the Iroquois with five straight defeats, four of which came under Alvarado. She did not finish worse than fourth in that stretch and most recently finished third in the Grade 2 Honorable Miss, but other losses were harder to excuse. In her long-awaited victory Saturday, Alvarado said that she was the strongest he has seen her this year. “She ran through the wire today,” Alvarado said. “Normally, she has a good kick and she sort of steadies at the end, but today, she was all energy.” :: Bet Santa Anita with confidence! Get DRF All Access Past Performances, Picks, Clocker Reports and more. After a brief scramble for the early lead out of the gate, 53-1 longshot Cara’s Time hustled to take over through an opening quarter-mile in 22.42 seconds. Sterling Silver was one of several contenders who were content to save their best for the late stages. Cara’s Time did not last long on the front end and made way for David Duggan filly Sunday Girl, who took over through a half-mile in 45.31. Jockey Katie Davis kicked clear to lead by 1 1/2 lengths aboard the 6-1 shot entering the stretch, but she began showing signs of fatigue well before the wire. Behind the tiring leader, closers Sterling Silver, 17-1 longshot Stonewall Star, and 4-5 favorite My Mane Squeeze all came calling in the final furlong. Dylan Davis and Stonewall Star made the first move to pass Sunday Girl, coming within striking distance of a massive upset on Empire Showcase Day. The Horacio De Paz mare was about to take over when Sterling Silver found an extra gear, one that Alvarado had not seen in months. With a final lunge in midstretch, Mott’s mare cleared Sunday Girl and Stonewall Star in one motion and pulled away to win by two lengths. She completed the 6 1/2-furlong sprint in 1:15.09 and paid $6 to win. Stonewall Star completed her determined stretch bid to finish second, a half-length ahead of My Mane Squeeze, who advanced into fourth turning for home but never engaged with the top flight. The Maker-trained favorite closed fast at the end to steal third by a head over Sunday Girl. At the very least, a win with Mott is a good omen for Alvarado, who could end up alongside the trainer in a far more crowded winner’s circle with Sovereignty at Del Mar on Nov. 1. “After the [Grade 1 Travers], it’s been a slow turn to the Breeders’ Cup, but I’m really excited,” Alvarado said. At Aqueduct on Saturday, Sovereignty and the Breeders’ Cup Classic still had a strange distance from Alvarado, who talked about the 3-year-old superstar after changing out of dirt-caked silks under overcast skies in New York. It won’t be long, however, before the jockey reunites with his life-changing colt and receives another transcendent opportunity, this time a world away on the West Coast. Hudson Stakes Back on the dirt at Aqueduct Saturday, The Wine Steward earned a breakthrough victory in the $200,000 Hudson Stakes. In his first race aboard the 4-year-old colt, jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. found an ideal trip behind the early leader and kicked clear to win by 2 1/4 lengths. “That horse, he’s a fast horse, and coming from long to short, I know I had to warm him up pretty well,” Santana said. “He gave me a nice kick and broke really sharp today.” The Wine Steward was the first of two New York-bred stakes winners for trainer Mike Maker and Paradise Farms on Empire Showcase Day at Aqueduct. The connections struck again when the juvenile filly Letmecounttheways won the Maid of the Mist later on the card. Peter Proscia, the principal owner of Paradise Farms, co-owns both runners and said that he has been waiting some time to bring The Wine Steward back to New York. Alongside David Staudacher, he has had a stake in the colt since his 2023 debut, a six-length victory at Belmont Park. In his last visit to Aqueduct, he finished second in the 2024 edition of the Grade 3 Peter Pan. “A good part of our stable are New York-breds,” Proscia said. “We buy them early on, some as yearlings, some as 2-year-olds, and we’re pretty happy to have [The Wine Steward] in the stable along with a whole host of others. We’re happy to support this program.” The Wine Steward’s 2025 campaign started strong when he won the $150,000 Fifth Season at Oaklawn Park, but subsequent efforts in graded stakes company didn’t pan out. After a strong runner-up finish in the $150,000 John Morrissey at Saratoga in July, he struggled on synthetic and finished sixth in the $150,000 Presque Isle Mile last month. In a season full of high and low swings, Maker’s colt got back to business in the Hudson, chasing behind loose front-runner Vettriano through an opening quarter-mile in 22.46 seconds and a half-mile in 45.20. Kendrick Carmouche managed the Linda Rice-trained pacesetter well despite the sharp fractions, but Santana and The Wine Steward continued reeling him in on the far turn. Vettriano still led by a head entering the stretch while his stablemate, Acoustic Ave, launched a bid from sixth, but The Wine Steward had all the momentum. With a little more urging from Santana, the New York-bred drew alongside the early leader and kicked clear to win by 2 1/4 lengths. He completed the 6 1/2-furlong distance in a brisk 1:14.80 and paid $4.52 to win. Several closers made determined moves for second, but none managed to catch Vettriano, who prevailed as the runner-up in a three-horse blanket finish. She finished a neck ahead of her stablemate, Acoustic Ave, who finished ahead of 10-1 shot Grand Opening made by the same margin for third. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.