ELMONT, N.Y. – Upon further review, the connections of Vino Rosso have decided not to appeal the stewards’ decision to disqualify their horse from first and place him second behind Code of Honor in Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. Trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday morning that while he still disagreed with the call, “trying to appeal it is usually a fruitless venture.” Braulio Baeza Jr., the New York Racing Association steward, told reporters following Saturday’s card that Pletcher had planned to file an appeal on Sunday. Pletcher, who trains Vino Rosso for owners Vinnie Viola and Mike Repole, did meet with the New York stewards on Sunday to get their explanation of the disqualification. On Saturday, the stewards said Vino Rosso, under Irad Ortiz’s left-handed whip, came over and bumped with Code of Honor, under John Velazquez, “not just once,” Baeza said. “We felt it was enough to disqualify.” That Vino Rosso finished only a nose in front Code of Honor at the finish, seemed to play a role in the stewards’ decision. Ortiz was not sanctioned by the stewards. “We don’t feel it was reckless or careless,” Baeza said. Before meeting with the stewards Sunday, Pletcher said he did not see the incident “as a disqualifiable offense. He drifted out a little bit, if you watch closely, the other horse drifted in a little bit. They brushed, I wouldn’t say they bumped. To me it was a classic horse race, two good horses, two good jockeys fighting to the end. I thought both horses had a fair chance to get their nose on the wire.” While obviously disappointed with the disqualification, Pletcher was pleased with his colt’s performance and plans to point him to the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 2. :: BREEDERS’ CUP 2019: See DRF’s top contenders “I thought he ran a terrific race,” Pletcher said. “Our strategy was we wanted to come out get into a good rhythm and be in the clear if we could. We didn’t necessarily intend on being on the lead, but no one else was there, he seemed to take on that role and was comfortable doing it. He got into a good rhythm and was traveling comfortably and I thought dug in gamely – and from what I could tell they could have gone around again and he was still going to be in front.” Vino Rosso and Code of Honor earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 106, a career best for both horses, in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Pletcher said the performance validated his and the owners’ decision to scratch out of the Grade 1 Woodward on Aug. 31 at Saratoga and run in the Gold Cup. “Hopefully, five weeks from now he’s still in as good a form as he was going into that race,” Pletcher said. “He appears to be this morning. He came out in good shape.” The one irony about the disqualification is that it was Velazquez claiming foul against Vino Rosso and Pletcher. Velazquez had ridden Vino Rosso in all 13 of his starts prior to Saturday including a victory in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita in May. Velazquez has won 1,793 races for Pletcher. Velazquez worked a horse for Pletcher on Sunday morning. “He was here this morning, worked a horse for me, we didn’t talk about [the disqualification],” Pletcher said. Pletcher did say Ortiz would likely be given first opportunity to ride Vino Rosso in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Velazquez would obviously ride Code of Honor in the Classic if he runs in that race. On Sunday, trainer Shug McGaughey said he would wait a little while before deciding whether or not to point to the Breeders’ Cup. McGaughey said he would speak to owner William S. Farish later this week “and try to use our heads on this thing and not get caught up in Breeders’ Cup-mania, but he’s running awful good right now.” Since finishing third in the Kentucky Derby (and being placed second after the disqualification of Maximum Security), Code of Honor has won the Grade 3 Dwyer, the Grade 1 Travers, and Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. He is now in the conversation for champion 3-year-old. When it comes to the Breeders’ Cup, McGaughey is more concerned about the lack of success East Coast horses have had in dirt races shipping West than he is any safety issues connected with Santa Anita. “Dirt horses haven’t been running that good going out there,” McGaughey said Sunday morning. The Santa Anita main track was quite deep on opening day, producing very slow times. “To go all the way out there and run over some old, deep racetrack doesn’t really interest me, but I think they’ll get it to where it’s okay,” McGaughey said. McGaughey said that if Code of Honor does not run in the Breeders’ Cup, he could run in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Nov. 30. Code of Honor and Vino Rosso finished four lengths in front of Tacitus, who finished third. It was another length back to Preservationist. Don Little Jr., president of Centennial Farms, which owns Preservationist, said there were no concreate plans for the 6-year-old’s next start. He has had a busy summer winning the Grade 2 Suburban, running fourth in the Grade 1 Whitney, winning the Woodward, and finishing fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Asked about the Breeders’ Cup, Little said, “If I was to guess, probably not. There are couple of other races between now and the end of the year, too. The good thing is he came out of it good, but there has been no decision.”