Breeders' Cup Classic Win Carries Vino Rosso to Title

Working with trainer Todd Pletcher, co-owners Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola chose to shut down their classic runner Vino Rosso  in August of his 3-year-old season in 2018 for some rest and time away from the track.

That decision proved key in Vino Rosso's development as the son of Curlin  reached new heights at 4, capped by a victory in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) to nail down champion older dirt male honors.

"The big decision was shutting down and giving him that time in Florida. His bloodlines suggested he'd be better at 4 than he was at 3," Repole said. "When he came back, he was the same talented horse he'd always been, but the difference that Todd saw was the focus was now there. When he was younger, there'd be times he would train well but not show it in the afternoons. There were races where he wouldn't run all the way to the finish; that was no longer a problem at 4. The focus was there."

The connections made another big decision in May 2019, opting to ship Vino Rosso west for a start at Santa Anita Park, where he won the Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1) and thrived at the 1 1/4-mile distance to put away Southern California-based grade 1 winner Gift Box. The race also provided experience as the Breeders' Cup Classic would be contested on the same track and at the same distance in November.

In his race before the Classic, Vino Rosso was disqualified from an apparent Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) victory and placed second behind Code of Honor for interference. Vino Rosso joins Maximum Security this year as Eclipse Award winners who were disqualified in high-profile races.

Pletcher was convinced Vino Rosso was thriving as he prepared for a return to Santa Anita. Vino Rosso delivered the biggest effort of his career in the biggest race of his career, drawing off to a 4 1/4-length score.

"Everything was going textbook," Pletcher said. "And so we were confident—knowing we were coming into a very tough scenario—but we were confident that our horse was on top of his game."

Vino Rosso's championship also adds to the story of 2018 Eclipse Award-winning breeder John Gunther. In 2018, Gunther and his daughter, Tanya, saw Justify , whom they bred and raised at their Glennwood Farm, win the Triple Crown while paddock mate Vino Rosso won the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2) before putting it all together in 2019.