hno:He set the pace at 47 and change - very fast for the mile and a half. He did away with the pressure he had to his outside then came the birds who had that nice pace to close into. He eyeballed and banged with both charitable man and MTB. Yet grudginly gave way to the eventual winner while still putting MTB away.
For a horse who has had very little racing experience, he very well may be the most impressive of the whole lot of 3 year olds.
I'd like to see him gain some experience over the next 2 months and take these horses on again along with Rachel and Quality Road. I'd like his chances.
Remember PACE MAKE A RACE.
For a horse who has had very little racing experience, he very well may be the most impressive of the whole lot of 3 year olds.
I'd like to see him gain some experience over the next 2 months and take these horses on again along with Rachel and Quality Road. I'd like his chances.
Remember PACE MAKE A RACE.
I watched the race and I saw one of the only horses all day lose from on the lead. He saved all the ground and a course that was tremendously speed favoring and set fractions without much pressure at all. You can completely forget the raw times, the fractions and race times were ridiculous all day and variant makers will take that into account.
If that race is run without turns, Dunkirk probably finishes 2 lengths behind MTB and 6 behind Summer Bird. He had something left in the stretch because the jock asked for absolutely nothing until they were well off the turn and MTB had alreay put his run in (very similar to the Florida Derby, except with Dunkirk playing Quality Road's role this time, minus getting blown by in the stretch by an off the pace horse).
Summer Bird was MUCH the best in here, closing into such a ridiculous speed bias is extrodinary. Dunkirk ran a great race tactically and still may improve from here since he is so unseasoned, but you are really kidding yourself if you thought he was the best horse today.
If that race is run without turns, Dunkirk probably finishes 2 lengths behind MTB and 6 behind Summer Bird. He had something left in the stretch because the jock asked for absolutely nothing until they were well off the turn and MTB had alreay put his run in (very similar to the Florida Derby, except with Dunkirk playing Quality Road's role this time, minus getting blown by in the stretch by an off the pace horse).
Summer Bird was MUCH the best in here, closing into such a ridiculous speed bias is extrodinary. Dunkirk ran a great race tactically and still may improve from here since he is so unseasoned, but you are really kidding yourself if you thought he was the best horse today.
Race track was fair all day.. It wasn't speed favoring..
If Dunkirk lays 4th or 5th likeSummer Bird got to do he wins for fun.. Instead Dunkirk goes out to the lead does all the dirty work going 23 and 47 and still beats MTB and Charitable Man.. Summer Bird just got the best trip imaginable, I thought and wanted Dunkirk to get that same trip..
If Summer Bird is on the lead and Dunkirk laid 5th, Dunkirk would of won the race even easier.. Dunkirk unfortunately found himself on the lead and Johnny V really couldn't do anything about it.. Nonetheless Dunkirk did all the dirty work and ran a great race.
If Dunkirk lays 4th or 5th likeSummer Bird got to do he wins for fun.. Instead Dunkirk goes out to the lead does all the dirty work going 23 and 47 and still beats MTB and Charitable Man.. Summer Bird just got the best trip imaginable, I thought and wanted Dunkirk to get that same trip..
If Summer Bird is on the lead and Dunkirk laid 5th, Dunkirk would of won the race even easier.. Dunkirk unfortunately found himself on the lead and Johnny V really couldn't do anything about it.. Nonetheless Dunkirk did all the dirty work and ran a great race.
First, to think you had the best horse when that horse controled the pace of the race on a speed favoring track and still lost is ridiculous. Additionally your horse came out on, and fouled the 6 in the stretch run. Had that been an allowance race or some lesser race, your horse woulda been taken down and wouldn't even have been in the money, but they are always reluctant to take down horses in Big feature races.
Secondly, he didn't "find" himself on the lead. That was planned for tactical advantage as the other "speed" horses were the cheapest in the race and really didn't posess much speed themselves if measured by past early fractions. The tip off to the front running effort was in the 47.1 recent workout.
Maybe your horse will go on to be a great racehorse but he certainly was not the best horse yesterday.
To suggest that Summer Bird had a better trip is sheer folly. Desormoux had to take that horse off the rail and go four or five wide to get in position for his stretch run. He closed into a speed biased track. All while Dunkirk was controlling the race up front with absolutely no interference and a favored rail trip for the full race.
The Bird is the word. Summer Bird. Even Mine That Bird had to stay closer and move much earlier than he wanted because of the speed bias. Dunkirk? Maybe later.
Secondly, he didn't "find" himself on the lead. That was planned for tactical advantage as the other "speed" horses were the cheapest in the race and really didn't posess much speed themselves if measured by past early fractions. The tip off to the front running effort was in the 47.1 recent workout.
Maybe your horse will go on to be a great racehorse but he certainly was not the best horse yesterday.
To suggest that Summer Bird had a better trip is sheer folly. Desormoux had to take that horse off the rail and go four or five wide to get in position for his stretch run. He closed into a speed biased track. All while Dunkirk was controlling the race up front with absolutely no interference and a favored rail trip for the full race.
The Bird is the word. Summer Bird. Even Mine That Bird had to stay closer and move much earlier than he wanted because of the speed bias. Dunkirk? Maybe later.
Dunkirk gave it his all .....
Tuesday June 9, 2009
Dunkirk sidelined by injury
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</TD></TR><TR><TD align=right>Dunkirk could return to training later this year (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Coolmore's DUNKIRK (Unbridled's Song) exited Saturday's runner-up finish in the Belmont S. (G1) with a non-displaced condylar fracture in his left hind cannon bone and will likely be sidelined the rest of the year. X-rays showed the fracture on Monday, and the gray colt was scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday at the recently opened Ruffian Equine Medical Center across the street from Belmont Park.
Trainer Todd Pletcher is optimistic that the multiple Grade 1 runner-up will make it back to the races.
"I don't anticipate this would prevent him from reaching his maximum potential," Pletcher told Daily Racing Form. "There have been a lot of horses that have returned from this sort of injury and done extremely well."
While the possibility remains of him making it back to the races this year, Dunkirk will probably be pointed toward a four-year-old campaign in 2010. Pletcher said he would likely remain at the clinic a couple of days before returning to his barn. Within the next couple of weeks, he is expected to ship to Lexington, Kentucky, where he will recuperate at his connections' Ashford Stud.
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Tuesday June 9, 2009
Dunkirk sidelined by injury
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Trainer Todd Pletcher is optimistic that the multiple Grade 1 runner-up will make it back to the races.
"I don't anticipate this would prevent him from reaching his maximum potential," Pletcher told Daily Racing Form. "There have been a lot of horses that have returned from this sort of injury and done extremely well."
While the possibility remains of him making it back to the races this year, Dunkirk will probably be pointed toward a four-year-old campaign in 2010. Pletcher said he would likely remain at the clinic a couple of days before returning to his barn. Within the next couple of weeks, he is expected to ship to Lexington, Kentucky, where he will recuperate at his connections' Ashford Stud.
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