Vino Rosso 'sharp' in comeback, winning Aqueduct's Stymie

Todd Pletcher-trained Vino Rosso returned a winner Saturday of the $150,000 Stymie Stakes while improving his Aqueduct record to 3-for-3, edging clear of Title Ready after a heated stretch duel in his first start since the Travers Stakes (G1).

Under jockey John Velazquez, the winner of last year’s Wood Memorial (G2) traveled wide throughout most of the one-turn mile event, stuck outside of three horses up the back stretch and two through the far turn.

Vino Rosso put away the pace setters while under a hand ride through 3/4 of a mile in 1:10.02. When Title Ready pulled to his outside in the stretch, Velazquez went to work on the 4-year-old Curlin colt, responded well to dig in and win by 3/4 of a length.

"I tried to get him back and put him behind horses and then he's going to take me a long way to get him going," Velazquez said. "That's the way he broke, and I left him where he's comfortable.

"He got away from the competition pretty easily. I was just worried I was a little too soon. He was pretty sharp today, we got a little close to the pace like I said, but he put in a good run."

Campaigned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, Vino Rosso went the distance in a final time of 1:35.27.

"He broke sharp," said co-owner Mike Repole. "That was the one thing about him last year at the end. where he just wasn't breaking sharp. He decided to give the field a 15-length lead and then decided to run in spots."

The winner broke as a 9-5 favorite in the field of eight.

Behind Title Ready, California shipper Shivermetimbers ran on for third.

"I thought this was the first race that he was sharp the whole time," Repole said. "Johnny looked under his shoulder like seven times, and I was wondering what he was doing. But even when Vino got to the lead, he waited again.

"I think the best that happened is that horse at the top of the stretch kind of gave him a little bump, kind of reminded him he was there. It was good. I think they could have went around four times and no one was going to get him."

Repole said this win "gives us a lot of opportunities" to run anywhere from seven furlongs to 1 1/4 miles in the future.