The Wine Steward, already an open-company stakes winner, leads the NY-bred contingent at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. Coady Photography.

Grade 1-placed stakes winner The Wine Steward and Grade 2 winner My Mane Squeeze lead a strong group of New York-breds headed into stakes company during this week’s Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

Paradise Farms Corp.’s and David Staudacher’s The Wine Steward, a son of Vino Rosso bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds, Lakland Farm and Mark Toothaker, tops the group and runs in Saturday’s headlining Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRABETS. Trained by Mike Maker, The Wine Steward comes off back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland and Grade 3 Peter Pan at Aqueduct.

Foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, The Wine Steward originally sold for $70,000 to Oldham Bloodstock at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. He was purchased by his current connections for $340,000 at last year’s OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training out of the Sequel Bloodstock consignment.

The Wine Steward will look to join Tiz the Law [2020], Forester [1882], Fenian [1869] and Ruthless [1867] as New York-bred winners of the Belmont Stakes.

Maker said he hopes The Wine Steward can sit off a pace duel in the Belmont before making his run.

“I’d like to see a pace duel develop and us maintain a stalking position,” Maker said. “If there was more of an honest pace last time, he would have appreciated it and maybe would have won it. We will hope for better luck this time. The owner has been very supportive of me and of New York. It would be great to win for them.”

The Wine Steward is the first foal out of the To Honor and Serve mare Call to Service, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Isotherm and stakes-placed winners Gio Game and Giant Game.

The Wine Steward, who drew post four of 10 and is 15-1 on the morning line, is one of six New York-breds entered in stakes during the festival.

My Mane Squeeze also bids for Grade 1 success in Friday’s DK Horse Acorn Stakes against the likes of Kentucky Oaks 1-2 finishers Thorpedo Anna and champion Just F Y I.

Bred and co-owned by William “Buck” Butler and also trained by Maker, My Mane Squeeze comes into the 9-furlong Acorn (lengthened by a furlong and around two turns instead of one when contested at Belmont Park) off a victory in the Grade 2 Eight Belles on the Kentucky Oaks undercard.

My Mane Squeeze, a daughter of Audible also co-owned by WinStar Farm, drew post 5 in the field of nine and is 12-1 on the morning line. She bounced back from an eighth in the Grade 2 Fantasy to win the Eight Belles going 7 furlongs.

“It was a great effort [at Churchill],” Maker said. “I’m happy to see that she turned it around from the debacle at Oaklawn. We’ll hopefully see a true test at two turns. I’ve always had the impression that the further the better for her. I don’t know what set her off at Oaklawn, but hopefully we can cross that out and keep moving forward.”

Foaled at Keane Stud in Amenia and out of the Speightstown mare In Spite of Mama, My Mane Squeeze won three straight New York-bred stakes before venturing into graded company for the first time in the Fantasy.

“From a breeding standpoint, WinStar stands Audible so that would be a plus and Buck [Butler] is from New York and a win would be extra special for him, as well,” Maker said.

R T Racing Stable’s Dominican Thunder, a 2-year-old son of Improbable bred by and foaled at Thirty Year Farm in Saratoga Springs, looks to kick things off early for the New York-bred team in Thursday’s $150,000 Tremont. A first-time starter trained by Jose Jimenez, Dominican Thunder drew post 3 in the field of eight and is 20-1 on the morning line.

Butler is also represented at the festival by his homebred Rotknee, a half-brother to My Mane Squeeze who runs in Saturday’s Grade 2 True North Stakes. The 5-year-old son of Runhappy drew post 2 in the 6 1/2-furlong True North and is 6-1 on the morning line.

Rotknee, also foaled at Keane Stud in Amenia, comes off a victory in the Affirmed Success Stakes May 2 at Aqueduct. He also won the Say Florida Sandy Stakes in late January at Aqueduct.

The New York-bred contingent gets another chance at a Grade 1 victory – and a two-pronged challenge at that – when Thin White Duke and Dancing Buck run in Saturday’s $500,000 Jaipur Stakes.

J and N Stable’s and Diamond M Stable’s Dancing Buck, a 6-year-old gelding by War Dancer bred by J & N Stables and foaled at Sundial Farm in Amsterdam, is 3-1 for the 5 ½-furlong turf stakes from post 3. Trained by Michelle Nevin, Dancing Buck won the May 4 Elusive Quality Stakes against open company in his return to his native state last time out at Aqueduct. He’s 8-1 on the morning line.

Thin White Duke won last year’s Harvey Pack Stakes for owners Phil Gleaves, Steve Crist, Ken deRegt and Bryan Hilliard. Trained by David Donk and fifth in the Elusive Quality last time out, the 6-year-old son of Dominus bred by Gleaves drew post 1 for the Jaipur and is 30-1 on the morning line. Thin White Duke was foaled at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs.

Jak N Burny rolls to first stakes win in Monday’s $50,000 George W. Barker at Finger Lakes. SV Photography.

Sherry Washburn’s homebred Jak N Burny repelled multiple challenges in the stretch from Flying Emperor to win Monday’s $50,000 George W. Barker Stakes at Finger Lakes.

Off since a runner-up finish in late November, Jak N Burny shook off any rust early and fended off Flying Emperor late to win by 2 lengths as the 7-5 favorite in the field of nine for the traditional Memorial Day feature and first stakes of the season at Finger Lakes.

The 4-year-old gelding by Destin improved to 5-for-7 with the victory – his first in stakes company – for Washburn and trainer Debra Breed. Joel Cruz rode Jak N Burny, who won in 1:10.69. The Institute finished four lengths back in third at 22-1, a head in front of Tra Lad in fourth.

Cruz hustled Jak N Burny away from the gate at the break and established a clear 1-length lead from Flying Emperor with Writer’s Regret and Shipsational chasing another length back. Jak N Burny led through the opening quarter-mile in :22.77.

Jak N Burny continued to lead entering and around the far turn, holding Flying Emperor off by a length before running past the half in :45.71. Flying Emperor and jockey Emanuel De Diego made repeated tries to run down Jak N Burny in the lane, through 5 furlongs in 57.77, but couldn’t get past.

Unraced at 2, Jak N Burny rattled off three wins in open company by a combined 27 1/2 lengths in July, August and September. Sent off as the odds-on favorite in the Leon Reed Memorial going 6 furlongs on a sloppy track in mid-October at Finger Lakes, Jak N Burny hopped and bobbled at the start, never reached the lead and finished fourth behind Allure of Money, Flying Emperor and Lady’s Golden Guy.

Jak N Burny rebounded from his initial stakes foray with a victory in a state-bred allowance November 8 before a runner-up finish behind The Institute to end the season two weeks later.

Breed breezed Jak N Burney four times – including a 6-fiurlong tightener in 1:13.40 May 14 – for his 2024 debut in the Barker. He earned $30,000 for his Barker victory and boosted his bankroll to $102,680.

Jak N Burny is the fifth foal out of the winning New York-bred Duckhorn mare Betty’s Chance. He’s a half-brother to multiple stakes winner, 14-time winner and $495,264-earner Winston’s Chance – a three-time starter in the George W. Barker – and 13-time winner and $423,174-earner Ifihadachance and winner Honest Chance.

Betty’s Chance, bred by Washburn and Michael Haers, went 2-3-0 in six starts for $23,930 in earnings. She’s also the dam of the 2-year-old New York-bred Cloud Computing filly Cloudy Chance, who was also bred by Washburn.

Hronis Racing’s Tapalo and jockey Hector Berrios dominate Sunday’s Lazaro Barrera. Stakes at Santa Anita Park. Benoit Photo.

Hronis Racing’s Tapalo, a 3-year-old son of Tapiture bred by Saratoga Glen Farm, became the latest New York-bred stakes winner in Southern California with a victory in Sunday’s $98,000 Lazaro Barrera Stakes at Santa Anita Park.

Tapalo, who earned his first stakes placing two starts back in the El Camino Real Derby, broke best in the 7-furlong Barrera and went straight to the lead. Allowed to set his own pace under Hector Isaac Berrios, Tapalo looked much the best down the backstretch as his rider sat quietly with a loop in his reins. Berrios had plenty of horse left as they entered the turn after setting early fractions of :22.69 and :45.02.

Running just behind the leader for much of the race, fellow New York-bred and 2-5 favorite Ball Don’t Lie was asked to close in the final quarter-mile but never mounted a serious challenge. Tapalo felt the whip a few times early in the stretch, but Berrios put it away in the final furlong to let the ridgling coast home a 7-length winner in 1:21.86. Ball Don’t Lie, a son of Blame bred by River Valley Farm and Hidden Lake Farm, settled for second with Tessuto another 5 1/2 lengths back in third.

“The break was perfect, he was traveling very comfortably,” Berrios said. “At the turn, he was very comfortable. The other horse needed a faster pace. My horse finished well. He has matured since the last time I rode him in October.”

Breaking his maiden in January for Hronis Racing and trainer John Sadler, Tapalo finished second in the $101,350 El Camino Real Derby in early February. He finished fifth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in early April. The Barrera victory improved his record to 2-2-1 from seven starts with $137,020 in earnings.

Sadler said Tapelo will most likely continue to be seen in middle-distance races in the future.

“He got eliminated in the Santa Anita Derby and I was thinking about giving him a little more time, but he had such a good work last weekend. I said ‘he’s ready to go back,’ ” Sadler said. “I thought this was a good distance for him. Anywhere from 7 to a mile, a mile and an eighth might be OK. He’s kind of a free-running horse. He has a lot of mobility. Hopefully we have a lot more ahead of him.”

Although he’s spent his racing career California, Tapalo has plenty of experience traveling around the country after selling at three sales in two states before making his way to the West Coast.

He sold for $40,000 as a short yearling at the 2022 OBS winter mixed sale before returning to his native state to sell for $20,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. Tapalo later sold for $55,000 at last year’s OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training to Martin Anthony.

Foaled at Saratoga Glen Farm in Schuylerville, Tapalo is one of three winners from three to race out of the Empire Maker mare Agent Romanoff. A daughter of Grade 3 winner Bridge Game, Agent Romanoff is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Shalako and six other winners from 11 runners out of her their dam. Tapalo descends from the extended family of Horse of the Year Tiznow and Grade 1 winners Paynter, Oxbow and Sweet Azteca.

After two years without foals, Agent Romanoff foaled a Saratoga Glen Farm-bred colt by Sequel Stallions New York’s Honest Mischief in March.

Tapalo joins two-time graded stakes winner Kinza as California stakes winners hailing from the New York-bred program in 2024.

Dancing Buck draws off to win Saturday’s Elusive Quality in his New York return. NYRA Photo.

After a pair of runner-up finishes in graded stakes events at Santa Anita Park, Grade 3 winner Dancing Buck returned to his winning ways Saturday with a victory in the $150,000 Elusive Quality Stakes.

Racing over 6 furlongs on the turf in one of three stakes that highlighted the first Saturday card of the Belmont at the Big A meeting, Dancing Buck broke well and immediately took the lead to control the pace. The 6-year-old son of War Dancer opened more than a length on the field early before the other added pressure through the first quarter in :22.40.

Dancing Buck didn’t have it easy on the front end but kept his lead through the half in :44.60. He turned for home in front, putting away his early arrivals and bracing for a late run from American Monarch. That rival cut the gap but fell short by 1 1/4 lengths. Alogon finished another half-length back in third. Dancing Buck won in 1:07.58 over the firm turf.

“Manny (Franco) gave him a great ride,” said Michelle Nevin, who trains Dancing Buck for his breeders J & N Stables and Diamond M Stable. “He took advantage of (Nothing Better) not breaking and once he had control of the race, the horse was there for him.”

The Elusive Quality was Dancing Buck’s first victory since he took the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint back on Oct. 2, 2022 during the first Belmont at the Big A meet. Dancing Buck improved to 7-for-21 with five seconds in the Elusive Quality and padded his bankroll to $592,920. Included in those 21 starts are two stakes wins and five stakes-placings.

Dancing Buck spent the winter in Southern California with trainer Rick Dutrow before returning to Nevin’s barn in New York after his second in the Grade 3 San Simeon March 9. He also finished second in Santa Anita’s Grade 2 Joe Hernandez in late December.

“Having more recency on the other horses is always going to help,” Nevin said. “He loves this turf course, so we were excited to have him back.

Nevin said Dancing Buck’s next start could come in the Grade 1 Jaipur on the June 8 Belmont Stakes card at Saratoga Race Course.

A third-generation New York-bred, Dancing Buck is out of the multiple stakes-placed Catienus mare Frivolous Buck. That mare has produced four winners from six to race with Dancing Buck’s full sister, Mz Big Bucks, earning her own stakes victory in June 2023. Mz Big Bucks has been working regularly at Belmont Park as she prepares for her 2024 debut.

Frivolous Buck is one of two stakes performers for her own dam Terminal Buck, who produced multiple stakes placed Buck Mountain. Buck Mountain is also the dam of multiple stakes-winning mare Our Last Buck.

Frivolous Buck foaled a War Dancer colt named Shenanigans Buck last year for Elizabeth Jameson and was bred back to the stallion for 2024.