Vino Rouge breaks her maiden at second asking Oct. 1 at Aqueduct (NYRA/Coglianese)
NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y.— Harold Lerner and Team D’s Vino Rouge will add blinkers as she looks to turn the tables on familiar foe Shimmering Allure in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle, at Aqueduct Racetrack. The nine-furlong route for juvenile fillies offers 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-five finishers.
Trained by Tony Dutrow, the Vino Rosso dark bay exited post 7-of-8 last out under Dylan Davis in the one-turn mile Tempted and traveled three wide from third position through the turn. She responded well when straightened away to take command with an eighth of a mile to run but was collared by the late-running Shimmering Allure, who bested Vino Rouge by three lengths.
“I’m very happy with her. I thought after the Tempted that would probably be enough for a 2-year-old, but she’s just led us to believe that she’s better than ever and needs an opportunity in this race,” said Dutrow, who won this event in 2010 with Dixie City.
Vino Rouge has worked back twice, including a five-eighths effort in 1:01.87 in blinkers on Sunday over Big Sandy with Davis aboard.
“I thought she was a bit green and I thought that was more of an excuse than the trip she had,” Dutrow said of the Tempted effort. “We’re very happy with her with blinkers and we think that’s the move. We couldn’t feel better about her going into the Demoiselle.
“When you look at her pedigree and see two-turns going a mile and an eighth that – on paper – should be to her liking, for sure,” he added.
Vino Rouge, out of the Arch mare Seeking the Blue, closed to finish fourth in her August debut over the Saratoga Race Course turf with Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the irons. She returned on October 1 at Belmont at the Big A to post a half-length score in an off-the-turf one-turn mile with Velazquez at the helm.
“Johnny came back after the first race and said, ‘Tony, she ran really good. She’ll win next time,’” Dutrow recalled. “And when I asked him if it should be on the turf or dirt, he said, ‘It don’t matter.’ We had her on the turf that day, but the race came off and she broke her maiden going a mile.”
The $180,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Janis Joplin.
The veteran conditioner’s most recent win came with Niall Brennan’s New York-homebred Slapintheface, who edged clear to a 2 1/4-length score at fifth asking in a 1 1/16-mile turf tilt on November 19 here.
“He’s a hard-charger. He tries and was deserving to get there that day,” Dutrow said. “He’s in Ocala and will be back in April. We thought all along he’s one that will get better. He’s a lanky 3-year-old and needs to fill out and grow out some. I think we’ll see a better Slapintheface as a 4-year-old.
The chestnut Oscar Performance sophomore has competed exclusively in turf routes, boasting a record of 5-1-2-1. He is out of the Lookin At Lucky mare Lost Innocence, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Quality Rocks.
Dutrow will look to start his weekend in style when he sends out Team Spoor’s well-regarded Curlin’s Girl, a $360,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase selected by Brennan, in Race 5 on Friday, a seven-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies.
The Curlin dark bay, out of the aforementioned Quality Rocks, closed from last-of-7 to finish second on debut traveling six furlongs over firm turf on November 5 here.
“She had a race on the turf to get her started, but she’s a dirt horse,” Dutrow said. “We got her out there for experience and we come back seven-eighths on the dirt. We’re very excited. God willing we have a lot to look forward to there.”
She has breezed back twice, including a bullet five-eighths in 59.55 over Big Sandy on Saturday.
“I didn’t want her going that fast last time – horses don’t need to do that, but she seems very good coming into the race and we’re very happy with her,” Dutrow said. “We all feel she’s a very good one.”
Irad Ortiz, Jr. has the call from post 2.
