Stymie a comeback option for Vino Rosso
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Vino Rosso, idle since his fifth-place finish in the 2018 Travers, worked four furlongs in 49.40 Sunday at Palm Beach Downs. The work was the fourth on the comeback trail for Vino Rosso, who competed in two of the three legs of last year’s Triple Crown following his victory last spring at Aqueduct in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial.
“He had a long campaign, so after the Travers we felt it was a good time to give him a break and freshen him up,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “He’s doing well. We haven’t decided exactly where to bring him back, but the Stymie at Aqueduct on March 9 is a possible target, since it’s where he won the Wood Memorial.”
Pletcher also is pleased with Soldado, who launched his career with a come-from-behind 2 3/4-length victory in Saturday’s Gulfstream finale, for which he earned a 91 Beyer Figure. Soldado, a 3-year-old son of Verrazano, was a bargain purchase for just $8,000 as a 2-year-old last May. Soldado is owned by A 1 A Racing.
“I think he had an excellent work at the sale but was one of those horses who just slipped through the cracks,” said Pletcher. “It appeared he beat a pretty high-quality field and looked good doing it the other day, and his pedigree suggests he should appreciate more distance.”
Pletcher said an allowance race rather than a stakes “would make more sense” for Soldado’s next start.
Suspensions may slow Saez down
Luis Saez’s seemingly commanding lead atop the jockey standings has begun to diminish recently, with Irad Ortiz Jr. on a torrid streak. And Saez’s quest to defend his riding title could be in further jeopardy after he received a pair of five-day suspensions from the stewards for separate incidents here last week.
According to his agent, Richard DePass, Saez is scheduled to serve his first set of days beginning Wednesday, Feb. 13, although he is permitted to ride in stakes races during that period. DePass said he has a meeting scheduled with the stewards to discuss his rider’s options on Wednesday, but added Saez has no plans to appeal either suspension.
