'TDN Rising Star' Cherry Wine (Paddy O'Prado) is progressing nicely and remains on track for an appearance against Mohaymen (Tapit) in the GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Park Feb. 27. Dale Romans, who trains the gray colt for William Pacella and Frank Jones Jr., said that the homebred would work this weekend over the main track in Hallandale.
“I'm looking at Saturday right now, depending on the weather and if I have to go to Kentucky for a day. If I do, then I'll make it Sunday,”said Romans, who conditions Cherry Wine for William Pacella and Frank Jones Jr. “He's training great. He's a horse that never really seems to have a bad day. He's just getting mentally more into the game all along. It took him a while to figure it out. His last two races have been spectacular and he's just been very simple to train.”
Runner-up to the promising Tiznoble (Tiznow) in a Nov. 1 maiden over yielding Churchill turf, Cherry Winer romped in by 9 1/4 lengths to graduate in the Louisville slop Nov. 28 and charged home the six-length winner of a first-level allowance at Gulfstream Jan. 9. The form of that victory was franked when the runner-up Battery (Bernardini) came home a two-length allowance winner Feb. 10.
The Fountain of Youth is also expected to attract GII Swale S. hero Awesome Banner (Awesome of Course), Awesome Speed (Awesome Again), winner of the Mucho Macho Man S. and fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Zulu (Bernardini).
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