Chelsea Durand Photo

G1-placed The Wine Steward back on work tab

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• G1-placed The Wine Steward back on work tab
• El Grande O works for G3 Gotham
• Parx Horse of the Year Aoife’s Magic points to Listed $200K Busher
• Aqueduct Racetrack Week 9 stakes probables

Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher’s Grade 1-placed The Wine Steward returned to the work tab at Gulfstream Park Saturday for trainer Mike Maker after a four-month respite. The New York-bred son of Vino Rosso covered three furlongs in 36.06 seconds, the bullet for that distance with 25 works that day.

The sophomore bay colt has not raced since finishing a gutsy second to Locked in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity on October 7 at Keeneland where he was defeated a half-length after pouncing from off the pace under Luis Saez. The Wine Steward was previously undefeated through three starts, including an open-company stakes triumph in the Bashford Manor at Ellis Park and a head score in the state-bred Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in August at Saratoga Race Course.

Peter Proscia of Paradise Farms Corp. said he is excited for the year to come for The Wine Steward, who was scratched from the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November.

“We’ll take it slow with him and I’m hoping for good things,” said Proscia. “Hopefully he’s on an ‘every Saturday’ work schedule now and we’ll keep an eye on him. He’s a New York-bred that has really shown himself and we’re hoping for good things as a three-year-old.”

Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds, Lakland Farm and Mark Toothaker, The Wine Steward was a $340,000 purchase by Maker at last year’s OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training where the colt breezed an eighth of a mile in 10.2 seconds. He is out of the To Honor and Serve mare Call to Service, a half-sister to graded stakes-winners Giant Game and Isotherm, as well as Grade 1-placed Gio Game and the unraced Adande, the dam of Grade 3-winner Skelly.

Proscia said The Wine Steward has already provided him with plenty of thrills as a juvenile.

“Last year was great,” said Proscia. “He’s just a real, honest horse. A couple races he got squeezed on the rail and he [overcame it]. It’s very fun to have a horse like that. We’ll take it easy and when he gets up to a couple of half-mile works, we’ll strategize where we want to go with him.”

Proscia and Staudacher’s stakes-winner Maker’s Candy, who is also co-owned by Maxis Stable and John Huber, will look to keep his recent win streak afloat in Saturday’s $100,000 Haynesfield, a one-turn mile for older New York-breds.

Also trained by Maker, the 4-year-old Twirling Candy colt has won his last three starts – all at the Haynesfield distance under Manny Franco with prominent efforts, taking a state-bred optional-claimer in November ahead of open-company scores versus winners in December and January.

“Half of me is mad because I can’t be there for the race, but that’s OK. He can win without us – that’s just fine,” Proscia said, with a laugh.

Bred by Newtownanner Stud, the $200,000 purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training sale captured the state-bred Mike Lee in May at Belmont.

Maker’s Candy is out of the winning Bluegrass Cat mare Purple Cat, who is a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Sky Diva and multiple graded stakes-placed Quick Little Miss.

The Maker barn has seen great success at the Big A so far this year, including with William J. Butler’s talented homebred My Mane Squeeze, who registered a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure when notching her third consecutive stakes score in Sunday’s $100,000 Maddie May, a one-turn mile for New York-bred sophomore fillies.

The Audible dark bay proved much the best with a stalking trip under Jose Lezcano as she reeled in Landed and powered through the wire a 4 3/4-length winner. The victory added to state-bred stakes scores here in the one-mile Maid of the Mist in October and the 6 1/2-furlong Franklin Square in January.

Nelson Donis, Maker’s Belmont Park-based assistant, said My Mane Squeeze has continued to train well following her latest score.

“She’s doing good, and does well every time she runs,” said Donis. “She does good with more distance.”

My Mane Squeeze could try to stretch out in open company in the nine-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle on April 6, offering 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.

My Mane Squeeze has banked $293,960 in total purses through a record of 6-4-0-2. A second-generation homebred, she is out of the three-time winning Speightstown mare In Spite of Mama and is a half-sister to the Maker-trained Butler homebred Rotknee, who is graded stakes-placed with five stakes victories.

Rotknee, a 5-year-old Runhappy horse, is pointing to a start in the Grade 3, $175,000 Tom Fool Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for older horses on March 2 here as part of the lucrative Gotham Day card.

“He’s good, too,” said Donis. “He’s looking good and maybe he’ll race on the second.”

Rotknee has breezed back five-eighths twice over the Belmont Park dirt training track, posting a 1:01 flat bullet last Saturday and an easy 1:04 flat Monday.

***

El Grande O works for G3 Gotham

El Grande O, a New York-homebred for Barry Schwartz, worked five-eighths in 1:02.91 Thursday over the Belmont Park dirt training track in preparation for next Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham. The one-turn mile for sophomores offers 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

Trained by Linda Rice, the Take Charge Indy colt worked in company with recent maiden claiming winner All the Rage.

“They stayed together for a half-mile and then El Grande O took over and went five-eighths and out six furlongs on his own. Just a very modest breeze in 1:02 and 3 and out in 1:15 and 2,” Rice said. “He's doing well. We were waiting for a good track and we got a good one yesterday and got a breeze into him. That will be his last breeze before the race.”

El Grande O, a half-brother to the graded stakes-placed Malibu Moon mare Meal Ticket, is out of the stakes-placed Unbridled’s Song mare Rainbow’s Song. He has banked $399,000 through a record of 10-3-5-1 topped by state-bred wins here in the seven-furlong Bertram F. Bongard in September and one-mile Sleepy Hollow in October.

El Grande O has made his last two starts here in open company, finishing a prominent second in both the one-mile Jerome after stumbling at the start on January 6 and the nine-furlong Grade 3 Withers on February 3 when defeated a nose to Uncle Heavy.

Rice said the versatile colt, who graduated sprinting five furlongs on the turf in June at Belmont Park, was also under consideration for the 1 1/8-mile Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 6 at the Big A.

"We discussed if we wanted to run in the Gotham or wait for the Wood and decided that as long as the horse was in good shape, we'd go ahead and run him," Rice said. "He's a horse that thrives on racing and he has fitness and experience on his side."

***

Parx Horse of the Year Aoife’s Magic points to Listed $200K Busher

A and J Racing Stable's Aoife's Magic brings a four-race win streak into next Saturday's Listed $200,000 Busher, at Aqueduct Racetrack. The one-turn mile for sophomore fillies offers 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points to the top-five finishers towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.

Trained by David Dotolo, Aoife's Magic was recently named the 2023 Parx Horse of the Year for a 4-for-4 campaign at the Bensalem, Pennsylvania track that saw her bank $261,600.

Dotolo, who oversees a five-horse stable, said the Busher will be a class test for Aoife’s Magic, who was the conditioner's first ever 2-year-old winner.

“We're wondering how good she is and hopefully we'll find out a little bit more about her next weekend. She's done everything we've asked her to do so far,” Dotolo said.

A Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Smarty Jones, Aoife’s Magic launched her career with a 10 3/4-length romp sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs against fellow state-breds on September 11 over a good main track.

She followed with a pair of 4 1/4-length scores, taking the state-bred Imply at 6 1/2-furlongs on September 23 over sloppy and sealed footing ahead of an open-company score traveling six furlongs on a fast track in an optional-claimer on November 15.

Last out on December 27, the $16,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale purchase made her two-turn debut in the one-mile and 70 yard Miss Behaviour and passed the test with flying colors over good and sealed going.

With regular pilot Wilfred Vasquez up, Aoife's Magic marked the opening quarter-mile in 25.13 seconds and despite being headed down the backstretch, she was back in command through three-quarters in 1:17.95 and easily drew clear to a three-length score in a final time of 1:51.38.

Aoife's Magic has posted modest Beyer Speed Figures thus far, earning a career-best 64 for her optional-claiming score. Dotolo said a return to one-turn won’t bother the talented chestnut.

“I don't think it matters to her. She just loves to run,” Dotolo said. “I think this race will set up well for her. She likes to run with 6-to-8 weeks between races, it seems to really get her on edge."

Aoife's Magic worked a half-mile in 51.05 Thursday at Parx with her regular pilot Vasquez at the helm.

“It was just a handy breeze, he was just sitting on her,” Dotolo said. “Wilfred came back and said, 'Dave, she's ready.' He comes every morning and gets on her and for some reason, they seem to click.”

Although not yet nominated to the Kentucky Oaks on the First Friday in May at Churchill Downs, Dotolo said he is considering the option given a good result next weekend.

“If you're thinking about the Oaks, you have to win open company,” Dotolo said.

Aoife's Magic, bred by Mohns Hill Farm, is out of the winning Drosselmeyer mare Polarized.

***

Aqueduct Racetrack Week 9 stakes probables

Saturday, March 2

G3 Gotham [offering 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points]

Probable: Bergen (Brad Cox), Capital Idea (Christophe Clement), Deposition (Uriah St. Lewis), Deterministic (Clement), El Grande O (Linda Rice), Eliminate (Todd Pletcher), Facenda (Doug O’Neill), Just a Touch (Cox), Maximus Meridius (Butch Reid, Jr.)

Possible: Air Cav (Cox), Antonio of Venice (Rudy Rodriguez), Khanate [Pletcher), Lightline (Cox), Speed Runner (Pletcher)

G3 Tom Fool Handicap

Probable: Downtownchalybrown (Panagiotis Synnefias), Durante (David Jacobson), Listentoyourheart (Ray Handal), Rotknee (Mike Maker), Super Chow (Jorge Delgado), Twenty Four Mamba (Charlton Baker)

Listed $200K Busher [offering 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points]

Probable: Aoife’s Magic (David Dotolo), Carmelina (Reid, Jr.), Gin Gin (Cox), Jody’s Pride (Jorge Abreu), Princess Mayfair (Steven Chircop), Regulatory Risk (Chad Brown)

Possible: Legadema (Phil Bauer), Sicilian Princess (William Walden)

Listed $150K Stymie

Probable: Double Crown (Raymond Ginter, Jr.), Kinetic Sky (Rick Dutrow, Jr.),

Possible: Castle Chaos (Robert Falcone, Jr.), Coastal Mission (Jeff Runco), Gilmore (Brendan Walsh), Laughing Boy (Jacobson), Law Professor (Rob Atras)