Wild Vine stays home for shot at M.P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile Stakes
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Trainer Jamie Ness was considering a trip to New York with the ever-improving 7-year-old Wild Vine, but for now, the Pennsylvania-bred will stay close to home. The gelding will be the one to beat in a salty edition of the $75,000 M.P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile Stakes on Tuesday at Parx Racing.
“There’s a race in New York in a few weeks, so we’ve been flip-flopping between them, but he’s a local Pennsylvania-bred,” Ness said. “We’ll run him in this spot here and see if he can repeat.”
Before Ness entered Wild Vine in the $300,000 Parx Dirt Mile last month, he was considering an even wilder trip to Belmont Park. The trainer nominated him for the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, where he would have squared off against Forever Young. Based on his effort in the Parx Dirt Mile the following day, Ness said he almost wished he had taken the chance.
With a dramatic move from sixth, Wild Vine exploded into command on the far turn and took a six-length lead at the top of the stretch. The local contender stunned heavy favorite Bracket Buster, who struggled to find running room and was flat-footed in his response. Wild Vine earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure, nearly as strong as the 98 he received in the $100,000 Native Dancer at Laurel Park in April.
“It was a visually impressive race,” Ness said of the Parx Dirt Mile. “He made a really strong move and sustained. I thought it was a big race for him. We gave him plenty of time, had a nice workout. I think we’re coming into this race in as good shape.”
Back in fine form, Ness’s gelding will be the likely favorite in the field of six on Tuesday. The trainer said he expects the race to set up well for a series of Pennsylvania-bred stakes over the winter, but he must first handle another stiff test in open company.
Bartlett, a listed stakes winner on turf and dirt, will stretch back out to a mile after finishing well back in the $150,000 Stable Recovery last month. The John Servis trainee has not lost a race at a route distance since June.
Trainer Guadalupe Preciado entered two contenders in the short field. Dreambuilder will re-enter stakes company off a 4 3/4-length allowance victory in August, while Freedom’s Echo will face older rivals after finishing 26 lengths back in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby. He went off at 157-1 that day.
“That was a tough race for the poor guy,” Preciado said of Freedom’s Echo. “The poor horse, all his conditions are too hard now, but we’ll see. He’s training really nice. He’s the kind of horse, maybe one day in a stakes, if everything goes his way. He has just had bad, bad luck.”
Duration, who matched Wild Vine’s 96 Beyer in an allowance victory last month, completes the field alongside Margie’s Fun Son, who finished seventh in the Parx Dirt Mile.
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