Sir Winston to Get Rest After Dull Effort

Sir Winston, the winner of the 2019 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), is headed to owner Tracy Farmer's Shadowlawn Farm in Kentucky for a few months of rest following a dull effort Sept. 1 at Churchill Downs.

A 4-year-old homebred son of Awesome Again, Sir Winston was fourth in a field of five in the Champions Day Marathon Overnight Stakes Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. A 3-2 favorite, Sir Winston was nearly 21 lengths behind the victorious Ry's the Guy in the Tuesday stakes that was contested at the same 1 1/2-mile distance as the Belmont Stakes.

"Sir Winston is not himself. Normally he goes to the paddock and is on his toes, but he was flat-footed," trainer Mark Casse said. "He'll get a few months off, and there's two options. He'll either be retired to become a stallion or we'll see how he trains and possibly bring him back in the winter."

Casse said the classic winner, who was sixth and last in the July 4 Suburban Stakes (G2) in his previous start, has yet to recover from a draining trip to the Middle East. Sir Winston was shipped overseas to compete in the March 28 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) but then returned home without racing after the stakes was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The trip to Dubai and back was hard on him. He probably lost 75-100 pounds because of it," Casse said. "He's not a good flyer."

After winning the Belmont, Sir Winston was sidelined for nearly seven months due to an ankle injury. Since then, his lone win in five starts came in a Jan. 31 allowance optional claiming race at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Out of the Afleet Alex  mare La Gran Bailadora, Sir Winston has four wins in 15 starts and earnings of $1,033,568.