Vino Rosso Uncorks In Time For Breeders’ Cup Classic
Photo Credit Eclipse Sportswire-Scott Serio / Breeders’ Cup Photos ©
Breeders Cup Press
Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Vino Rosso galloped 1 3/8m and stood in the starting gate at Santa Anita Wednesday morning in preparation for a start in Saturday’s Classic.“He’s doing great,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He showed a lot of energy going on and off the track.”
Vino Rosso already has a 1 1/4m GI victory at Santa Anita on his resume. The 4yo son of Curlin captured the May 27 Gold Cup, seven weeks after finishing fourth in the 7f Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.
“The Carter was a Grade 1 opportunity and he’s always run well at Aqueduct. Unfortunately, it was probably the slowest half-mile pace in the history of the Carter and it didn’t set up well for him,” Pletcher said. “If we could do it all over again, we’d probably put a pacesetter in there to insure that there’s decent fractions. But you’d never expect a Grade 1 sprint to go almost :47 to the half.”
The Carter experience did, however, move Vino Rosso forward.
“He was training super and it seemed like the Santa Anita Gold Cup was coming up at the right time,” Pletcher said. “He was doing well and we felt getting a race over the track would let us see where we are as far as the Breeders’ Cup.”
Vino Rosso stalked the early pace in the Gold Cup before moving to the lead on the turn into the homestretch and edging away to victory by three-quarters of a length.
“It gives us encouragement. He has a good race over the track at the distance,” Pletcher said. “It’s good to know that.”
