The Wine Steward Back to Work at Gulfstream for Maker
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
The Wine Steward wins the 2023 Funny Cide Stakes at Saratoga Race Course
Paradise Farms and David Staudacher's grade 1-placed The Wine Steward returned to the work tab last weekend at Gulfstream Park for trainer Mike Maker after a four-month respite. The 3-year-old Vino Rosso colt covered three furlongs in a bullet :36.06 Feb. 17, the fastest of 25 works at that distance.
"We'll take it slow with him and I'm hoping for good things," said Peter Proscia of Paradise Farms. "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 3-year-old."
The Wine Steward, scratched from the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) in November, has not raced since finishing a gutsy second to Locked in Keeneland's Breeders' Futurity (G1) last October. He was previously undefeated through three starts, including stakes wins in the Bashford Manor Stakes at Ellis Park and the Funny Cide Stakes for New York-breds at Saratoga Race Course.
"Last year was great," Proscia said. "He's just a real honest horse. A couple of 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."
The Wine Steward, nominated for the Triple Crown series, currently has five points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby accredited to his runner-up finish in the Breeders' Futurity.