Busier week than normal for Wine ‘N’ Dine
Joe Pride has been forced to alter Wine `N’ Dine’s training regime in preparation for his assignment in the Listed Winter Stakes at Rosehill.
Saturday’s heavy track persuaded the trainer to skip Randwick and give Wine `N’ Dine a rare weekend off.
The six-year-old usually swims and has a light canter between races but things have been stepped up.
“I’ve had to give him a couple of hard gallops,” Pride said.
“He’d forgotten what the Pro-Ride training track looked like.”
Since November, Wine `N’ Dine has had 18 starts and four barrier trials for four wins and four placings, his latest victory coming over 1500m at Rosehill on July 2, his third Saturday race in a row.
“The only reason I scratched him from Randwick was because of the heavy track,” Pride said.
“He goes well on soft tracks but just not on heavy.”
Wine `N’ Dine is one of 17 entries for Saturday’s Winter takes (1400m) and one of two for Pride.
“I’m not sure about Shadow Lord,” he said. “I may run him in the 1200 metre race but I don’t really want to run him against Painte so I’ll leave that decision for the moment.”
Civic Stakes winner Ninth Legion heads the Winter Stakes field from Snippets Land who finished 1-1/4 lengths behind him in that race.
Restricted class gelding Better Not Blue, who ran Ninth Legion to a long head in the Civic Stakes, is among the Winter Stakes nominations.
The 1200m-benchmark 93 has also attracted 17 entries headed by the Kim Waugh-trained Forget, winner of the Group Three Cameron Handicap and topweight with 61kg.
The Pride-trained Painte and Shadow Lord both have 55kg.
Pride will have a rare two-year-old runner with Krusty one of 13 entries for the juvenile race over 1400 metres.
“He is a very nice horse although his form might not show it,” Pride said.
“He has been unlucky in his two starts so far and I think he will develop into a good horse.”