Vino Rosso using Woodward as gateway to Breeders' Cup Classic

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The connections of Vino Rosso have elected to use Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward Stakes as a springboard to the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November rather than wait for the Jockey Club Gold Cup next month at Belmont Park.

Vino Rosso was one of three horses trainer Todd Pletcher entered Wednesday for Saturday’s Woodward. Pletcher also entered Wooderson and Bal Harbour.

Vino Rosso is winless in three starts at Saratoga, but Pletcher felt his race in the Grade 1 Whitney here on Aug. 3 was good and he came back with a strong five-furlong workout in 58.69 seconds last Friday over the main track.

“He’s doing well, had a good breeze the other day, came out of it in good form,” Pletcher said. “We’re just kind of looking at what’s right in front of us as opposed to a month from now.”

Last year at 3, Vino Rosso was beaten three-quarters of a length in the Jim Dandy before he finished fifth in the Travers in what was his last start of the year. This year, Vino Rosso has won four times, with a victory in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita his signature victory.

John Velazquez will ride Vino Rosso.

Wooderson has a win and two seconds from three starts at Saratoga and is coming off a runner-up finish to Tom’s d’Etat in the Alydar Stakes. Tom’s d’Etat could be favored in the Woodward with Irad Ortiz Jr. up.

Bal Harbour is coming off runner-up finishes in the Philip Iselin Stakes and Monmouth Cup, both Grade 3 stakes at Monmouth Park.

Yoshida, who hasn’t won since he took last year’s Woodward Stakes, is back for a repeat bid. He did finish a late-running second to McKinzie in the Whitney, 4 3/4 lengths clear of Vino Rosso.

Also in the field are Preservationist, the Grade 2 Suburban winner; Mr. Buff, who beat New York-breds in the Evan Shipman here on Aug. 7; Mongolian Groom, third in the Pacific Classic; and Forewarned, a well-beaten fifth in the Whitney.